High School DXD New World: The Journey of the Indigo Dragon Warrior
by JordanGenesis
Summary: The tomb of the Indigo Dragon Empress was disturbed and grave robbed by two fallen angels. While two of the three mystic weapons were stolen, only one was saved. The Empress' spirit awakens to find a host to partner up in order to seek revenge on those who disrupted the empress' slumber, but her host she must rely and trust, is an average teenage boy from another world. (OCxHarem)
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Hey guys! This is my first time doing a new fanfic based around my favorite anime High School DXD. You may see some errors here and there and I do apologize if there are any on this story. I'm not the best writer but I'll give it my best to tell you my story.**

 **Anyways, I've been gathering notes and taking my time with ideas and thoughts on how the story would first progress throughout the summer break. This was all planned out since reading the first three volumes of the light novels. Since then, I wanted to come up with my ideas and thoughts on how it would continue (noncanon wise) with an OC after the ending of vol 2 or the ending of season 1. This story takes place after the first season of DXD, well before DXD New. That and I wanted to write this to kill time for season 4. Now, don't expect any -samas, -senpais, -san, or -kun endings in names in the entire story. I haven't planned on doing so, plus my mind was engraved with the English dub of the show. If your picky, strict, or offended by it by any means, I do deeply apologize.**

 **UPDATE 9/19/2016: I will be uploading bios of the OC's, I've been so busy writing notes and processing the fic that I keep on forgetting.**

 **Feel free on reviewing this fic. :)**

Chapter 1: The Start of a New Day

 ***BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP***

A hand reaches out under the covers hitting the annoying alarm clock repeatedly. The hand kept hitting the clock but nothing works, the alarm is still going off. It reaches out instead for an urban task lamp and bangs it on the alarm clock until it stops beeping causing the alarm clock to be cracked on its outer frame. As soon as the alarm was snooze, he continues to sleep on for five more minutes, until he smells the sweet aroma of fresh baked cinnamon rolls from the downstairs kitchen.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

" **Richie, it's time to wake up! You don't wanna be late for breakfast. I made your favorite. My homemade cinnamon rolls!"**

The teenager gets up outta bed at an instant, like fresh toast out of a toaster when he smelled the pastries. The boy had a messy bed head of short black hair with a small mullet running down from the middle back of his neck. His eyes were a tad crusty from the "sandman". He was wearing a white tank tee with black shorts for pajamas. He looks over at the cracked clock on the floor to his right to look at the time. The time read 7:01 a.m.

"Mmmhhmmm." he got up and stretched.

Richie walks toward the window shade. He pulls up the shade to try and bring light in his room.

"Lord, let there be light!" He shouted as the window shade rolls up revealing the morning daylight all throughout the room. Richie goes to his closet to find his favorite shirt to wear for school, his pants, and his underwear. He also checked his gym bag to make sure everything was ready for his regional basketball tournament taking place tomorrow. Taking his white t-shirt, underwear, and pants, he goes to the shower outside his room on the right side of the hallway to proceed his daily routine of showering before school.

*10 minutes later*

Richie steps out of the bathroom to give a big sigh of relief after feeling all cleansed. Body cleansed, hair shampooed, his freckled face cleansed, and his teeth brushed, rinsed, and flossed. Richie was wearing his dark blue shirt with black jeans. He also supported a waterproof sports watch to keep track of the time and a black jacket. Before going to the kitchen to enjoy his mother's cinnamon rolls, he grabs his gym bag and backpack. He then slides down the stairs banister, landing on the front floor only wearing his socks. His basketball shoes were downstairs in the backyard drying after being clean for his tournament while his main shoes were near the front door. The mom has a rule where shoes must be off at all times when entering the house. Richie sets his bags beside the stairs and walks towards his mom giving him a kiss on the cheek. His mom, Regina, was supporting a black apron while wearing her purple pajamas. Her skin was a light brown color as her hair was black, but was concealed with a sleeping cap.

"Morning mom." He said giving a kiss on her cheek.

"Richie, how many times have I told you? No sliding down the banister. Your father just fixed that three days ago." his mother replied while laying a pan full of warm cinnamon buns on the table.

"Sorry, mom. I'm just so psyched up for the big basketball tournament today." He said while eating and talking at the same time.

"You can start by stop sliding down my banisters so much and son what have told you about talking with your mouth full. You know better than that."

"Sorry." He swallowed. "Anyways, the whole team has been playing their hardest. I've been coming up with a few plays a little bit overnight. Blake is in the number two rank and I'm standing at number three, if it all goes excellent for this season, me and blake could tie for the silver mvp award in the region!"

"What about gold? Don't you and Blake wanna be on top? Number one?"

"We do, if Tyrone Edwards won't stop hogging the ball so much. The way coach sees in him, he thinks it's NBA stardom. I get that he's our best player and all, sinking in every shot and dunk within every game, but that's about to change. That's why I came up with new plays so that way the entire team will have a fair share at the ball."

"Well don't work yourself too hard, you need that brain to to focus on your education and pass that big math exam next week. You have been studying, right?" She questioned

"Yes, mom, I've been studying a lot. I know school is important. You seen my report card weeks ago with A's and B's written all over it."

"I know, I just don't want you to get this basketball stuff all wrapped in your head." she worried.

"Don't worry mom, I'll be fine." He told his mom.

"OK, if you need more breakfast there's waffles and bacon in the freezer. I'm gonna get my shower started for work. If I come out of the shower and you're already going to school, I'll see you at home." She says as she give him a good luck kiss on the cheek. "Me and your father will be there at the arena as early as five tomorrow since your game doesn't start til six."

"Thanks, mom. Don't forget the camera this time! I want dad to see my three pointers in HI-DEF 1080p!" Richie said.

*25 MINUTES LATER*

Richie was finishing his breakfast of two frozen waffles and three slices of turkey bacon he cooked for himself. After he finished eating, he was watching the weather on his local morning news station. Apparently, there is a thunderstorm making its way towards tomorrow in Everton, where the regional high school basketball Championship would take place and the town Richie lives in.

"Right Now, let's go to NewsChannel 12's meteorologist Ashleigh Davidson for for a quick look on the weather." the reporter said.

"Alright, looking at our forecast for today, it is going to be a gorgeous day for rest of the Southern California region with temperatures in the lower 70s. Chances of rain are slim for today and tonight. But as we take a look further into our futurecast tomorrow, we could very well see a big possibility of scattered showers and/or thunderstorms over the places like, El Dorado, El Diego, Everton, and the Monroe City areas as well as a possibility of Flash Flood Watches being put into effect for tonight by the National Weather Service. The storm will gradually weaken with more high pressure, moving its way up north towards the region of Sacramento. I'll keep you updated with more details on today and tomorrow's weather in about twelve more minutes. Let's send it back to Heather."

"Thank you, Ashleigh" the reported replied.

As he muted the tv, Richie was thinking about the storm making its way into town. He hope it doesn't affect the game too much. They've worked their butts off to make it this far. Cancelling the game would upset him and the rest of the team, but would be OK for him to get plenty of rest for another day. Maybe even practice some more.

*DING DONG*

Richie heard the doorbell ringing inside the house. Knowing for sure, it had to have been Blake that pressed that button. He looked inside the peephole from the door to make sure. It was Blake standing outside with his gym bag over his shoulder along with his backpack. He opens the door.

"Ready, bro?" said Blake.

"As I ever will. Got everything I need for practice. Let's hit it!" Richie told Blake.

Both Richie and Blake headed out the door to their high school. Their school wasn't too far from where they both lived, so the decided to walk with plenty of time.

Halfway from school, Richie yelled out a big yawn. Blake noticed that from him. He had to say something.

"You better not be tired today or else coach is gonna have a feel day with you. This game is very important to us." He told Richie. "Here, eat a high energy granola bar my mom made for us."

"Thanks, I'll eat it later." he told his friend putting bar in his bag. "I was staying up a little later last night, to come up with some some neat plays for our game."

"Rich, don't you think you should leave that to the coach."

"You're right, I should give it to coach first thing at practice."

"No dude,I'm saying leave the plays and ideas up to coach to work on. That's _his_ job. I'm sure he was working an all nighter coming up with like at least fifty plays for us."

"I know, but just this once I want coach to accept at least one of my plays. Just so just so one of us can get at least silver MVP status and not have Tyrone be a ball hog so much. Coach is just relying in him way too much. I can't stand that."

"Yeah I get ya bro, but listen, _he's_ the reason we're in the regionals now. Without him, we wouldn't be walking with our gym bags now would we."

"Well, there's that but there's also another thing why I don't like him."

"What's that?"

Suddenly a purple convertible pulls up right in front of the two boys. The car had a sleek design look to it with an white eagle on the hood of the car. The windows were tinted until they were rolled down. They revealed Tyrone in the front seat with one girl sitting in the front passenger seat and three more girls sitting in the backseat.

"HEY SUKKAS! YA'LL BETTER BE SET FOR REGIONALS, CUZ NOT ONLY I'LL BECOME THE HIGH SCHOOL MVP OF THIS SEASON, BUT WILL BE THE KING OF EVERTON HIGH SCHOOL WITH THESE FINE LADIES. AIN'T NUTTING GONNA STOP THE REAL THANG, YOU KNOW! I WOULD GIVE YOUZ A RIDE BUT, SORRY I GOT A WEEEEEEE BIT TOO MUCH ROOM AS YOU CAN SEE. SO, BYE!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" He boasted while speeding of in an awful, yet loud gangsta laugh.

"UGGGGHH! I HATE IT WHEN HE DOES THAT!" Richie grunted. "He has everything, the closing gap of being the MVP, popularity, and the girls. All just for showing off. Man, would I kill to have a bunch of girls surround me all over doing my every whim. Wouldn't you like to have that?" He said while fantasizing.

"Sounds like pimping if you ask me. I would, but I would love to enjoy just one thank you very much."

"Really dude? Why not have at least two or three? As a matter of fact, if I do have a harem in the future…

"Which you won't."

"Quiet!" He quickly shouted. "If I do have a harem, I'll be more than happy to share them with you."

"That's very thoughtful of you Rich, but like I said, I'd prefer having one girl by my side. And by the way, that's just your jealousy speaking all of that."

"Yeah, so what if I'm jealous. Big whoop."

"Being jealous on a guy that has an ego that has the on par size of Kanye West and the fact you get stuttery and be all nervous when you try talk to any girl here at school or being alone with a girl in general in the first place makes me question why would you want a group of girls of your own?."

"Because, I've been dreaming like that since since day freakin' one in late middle school. Does that answer your question?"

"Then answer this. Remember that time you tried to ask out Eileen Richardson once during P.E. class? What did you do next? You passed after you couldn't finished your last sentence."

"Hey, I was dehydrated. The gym's AC was out. I wasn't prepared for that day."

"And that time you asked out Samantha Wilson. Things were going smooth, but you **had** to eat a record setting 14 fried garlic parmesan onion rings for lunch without brushing your teeth or even mouthwash. Having damn near, _her_ passing out. Avoiding you for the next few days until she got a new boyfriend."

"OK! OK! That's enough! You don't rub it in so much."

"Sorry dude. Still, you gotta come out of that fear of being afraid of talking to a girl and being shy so much."

"I'm not afraid if girls or being shy, it's just what might happen next if I ask a girl out. Whether or not I get rejected."

"Dude, I'm sure any girl at school, Everton, or anywhere else would be lucky enough to go with you. It's all about being positive and being yourself. Simple as that. Take my advice on that. Your time will come one day."

*BEEP BEEP*

Richie heard two beeps. He looked at his stopwatch to look at the time. It read 7:50 p.m.

"Oh crap! We gotta be in school in ten minutes or else Mrs.O'Neil is gonna give us a zero for the day!" Richie exclaimed.

"Relax, I know a shortcut. Follow me!" Blake told him.

The two boys ran for the nearest crosswalk that was between an elementary school and a forest. They both crossed the street and instead of turning a corner and proceeding to walk, they decided to go forth toward the inside of the forest. It was a dangerous area surrounded by an strong, steel fence. Thanks to Blake dealing with fences in the past he found a big enough opening to cross through. The fence is supposed to keep the wild bears and deer from coming out of the forest. Inside was a much shadier and darker environment with the air inside being a little muggier. Richie and Blake made their way to the middle of the forest.

"Which way do we go now?" Richie questioned.

"We keep going straight. I made a white arrow pointing up that'll lead us to the cave. I can see the cave a quarter of a mile from here. We go on top of it and head right. It'll lead us another quarter of a mile to school ."

"You sure you know where you're going?"

"Trust me, I've taken this shortcut dozens of times. It hasn't failed me quite yet."

They walked on the correct path to make their way towards the school. The tree branches kept obscuring their vision for every minute. Finally, at 7:56 p.m, they made out of the forest. They can see the school from a close distance. The boys ran toward the school to the front entrance, blasting their way to the front lobby as fast as they can.

"Sweet! We made it with at least a couple of minutes to spare." Blake said

"Yeah, let's head upstairs now. With our GPAs now, we can't afford having a zero on our record." Richie replied.

The two boys had to get to class or else a bad grade would be facing them for the rest of the semester. They were already at the first five steps of the stairwell, until…

"LIVINGSTON! LOUIS! FRONT AND CENTER!" yelled the coach.

The two turned around in one jerked motion simultaneously. Heading straight down the stairs in front the coach as if they were army soldiers in the military.

"YES, SIR!" They both yelled in unison.

"Just the two men I wanted to see. It's a good thing that you two are here. I need you to meet me in the gym ASAP!"

*SCHOOL BELL RINGS*

"Sir, we're already missing class right now." Richie tells coach.

"No need for that today. I pulled some strings with the principal and managed the entire roster out of class to practice for the regionals tournament. As a special bonus, all of the roster will leave early so they can rest up the next day."

"Sir, that's very big of you to do that. Thank you, sir" said Blake

"No worries Livingston. Now you two, get dressed! I wanna see you both on that court in fifteen minutes! PRONTO! ON THE DOUBLE!" He pointed out.

"YES, SIR!" Both yelled. They marched their way like soldiers towards the gymnasium next door outside. As soon as they were outside the gym doors they stopped and walked normally when they were on the court making their way to the locker room. They began to conversate about how coach let the whole roster early to practice for the tournament.

"I can't believe Coach is letting us go home early to practice more for regionals." Blake told Richie.

"I know bro! This gives me an idea. You wanna stay over at my house til eight so we can practice more?" Richie said.

"That sounds excellent! I'll let my mom know where I'll be at later."

"You know what also means right?" Richie asked.

"What?"

"You and I can play some NBA MAXED OUT 2K17 after our little practice session. Whaddya say?" Richie told him.

"I say you're on bud. Watch me take you down, as I play my Golden state Warriors destroy your Oklahoma City Thunder for the tenth time in a row" Blake agreed.

"Oh, please. Westbrook and Durant can take down a guy so OP as Stephen Curry."

"We'll just see about that after practice" Blake ended as they both head towards the locker room.

As the two went on with their bragging rights, they went to the locker room to go change into their practice uniforms. The uniforms they wore supported silver jerseys and shorts with blue lettering and outlines. Their mascots were called the Blue Diablos. Each player wore the same jersey and supported shoes to wear in the playoff game. The shoes they were colored black with blue laces. All of the players exited the locker room to the court for standard drills and practices. Blake and Richie were the last players to come out of the locker room. Blake's number was sixteen, while Richie was number sixty-four. The whole roster was lined up horizontally when the coach arrived. The coach was really impressed by all players who were able to participate in this momentous event coming their way. He gave bass in his voice as a drill sergeant ordering those to follow his. As he went on, the whole team did hours of exercise drills, laps around the court, and various other basketball drills. The team even competed against each other based on their performances for the entire season in 3 on 3 games until it the clock struck 1:00 P.M.

"Terrific job there, soldiers. I've never seen such a hard working and athletic team since the playoffs of 1999. Most of you were very proficient, some of you still need a little more practice. But, I still have faith and confidence from each and every one of you on this roster, especially you Edwards. Why, with your fantastic three pointers and excellent defense, those El Dorado Slashers wish they never stepped in front of us. Livingston! Louis! Excellent work on the assists to Edwards. Keep it up, and they may as well award either of you you the silver MVP of this season. See you all back here tomorrow afternoon. Our bus leaves school at 3 o'clock sharp! At ease soldiers, go home and rest!

*WHISTLE BLOWS*

All the teams went back to the locker rooms to change from their practice uniforms to their usually normal style of clothing. Tryone kept on bragging and boasting on how he'll be the new MVP. Meanwhile, one of his two of his ladies were standing out behind the gym entrance waiting for him while the other was standing next to him. Both had already cut class to be with Tyrone.

"Come tomorrow, errbody, you're looking at the new MVP for the Everton Blue Devils. Hold your applause cause, you already know that I will…*COUGH*. I will…*COUGH* *COUGH* .

"Ty, are you alright?" one of his girls said.

"Yeah, girl. I just need some water that's all. Let go and git, before I get even more sick." Tyrone said as he and one of his girls walked to entrance with a bottle of water in hand.

"I sure hope Tyrone can be able to play tomorrow." Blake said. "We can't afford to lose him on this most important game"

"I usually don't say this, but let's hope he'll be okay. If not then I say karma really paid off" Richie said.

"Dude, why'd ya say that? Don't jinx it!" he said punching him on his left arm."

"Cause he deserves it. Boasting and bragging that he's the best so the whole team can rely on one player to count on one game. There's more to it than just him. And no, I'm not saying that because I'm jealous."

"Alright, alright." Let's just get home so I can kick you butt in NBA Maxed Out again."

"In your dreams!" Richie retorted and ran.

By the end of their practice, they both headed off to Richie's house to practice more basketball before the tournament. Blake informed his mom at her workplace that he would be staying over at his best friend's house after school. The same went for Richie with his mom. Time passed on for a few hours. With every drill they played and every shot the try to make, they were dedicated to get this into perfection. Going every rule by the book from the coach since they first tried out. Finally when they were done playing in the front garage, it was time for some real fun. Richie is what he refers to himself as a "beast" when it comes to video games. Any genre he would play, he would start to be good in an instant. From dancing & rhythm, RPGs, classic arcades, claw machines, and even sports games he would master at them, until Blake comes in. Blake only success in video games is in the department of fighting games and sports, especially sports. He dominates Richie in most of the basketball video games when they both play multiplayer since they were five. It was now 8 o'clock in the evening. The two were playing NBA Maxed Out 2K16 with playoff mode activated while in Richie's room. Blake's team was the Golden State Warriors while Richie's team were the Oklahoma City Thunder. It came down to the fourth quarter with 7 seconds on the clock with a tight game of Blake 99 and Richie 99

"Here we go, with 7 seconds. Long distance throw! He passes it to Curry! He dribbles, crosses em', up close for the dunk...and slams it in! 101 to 99 CALL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS! BALL GAME! AND WITH ONLY ONE SECOND LEFT OF THE GAME REMAINING! Try and beat me now little man." Blake exclaimed.

" _OK, it's either now or never. If I can shoot from half court with Westbrook and beat the buzzer, I'll win this thing for sure. Westbrook's three pointers have been excellent overall in this game against Curry since the third. I'm out of timeouts. There's no other options. Here we go."_

"Durant passes to Westbrook! It's do or die, from half court!"

Westbrook shoots for the hail mary half court shot from the side of Golden State's goal. People in the crowd stood up in awe when the ball was in the air for the shot. With precise accuracy and distance, the ball makes it in. The crowd goes nuts. Confetti spraying all over the arena. The Oklahoma Thunder celebrate with a surprising win of 102-101.

"OH! WITH HUGE UPSET BY RUSSELL WESTBROOK! MAKES A SHOCKING THREE POINTER FROM HALF-COURT! THUNDER WINS IT ALL! THE CROWD GOES INSANE! UNBELIEVABLE THEY ARE YOUR NEW CHAMPS! 102 TO 101! GOOD NIGHT, FROM CHESAPEAKE ARENA!" Exclaimed Richie pretending to be an announcer.

"Un-freaking-believable. Ya beat me, but I have to admit that was a super close game." Blake admitted.

"I almost thought we were going to be in overtime, but I guess it was not meant to be." Said Richie.

"GG BRO."

"YEAH, GG" Richie said with a fist bump.

Suddenly, someone's ringer goes off after their fist bump. Blake felt a vibration in his right pants pocket. He picks up his phone to notice a text from his mom.

" _Blake, it's time to come home before your dinner gets cold."_

 _-mom_

"Well, I gotta bounce. My mom wants me back at the house before she's done with dinner. I'll see you tomorrow at the school."

"OK I'll catch you later tomorrow."

"And don't stay up late this time Rich. If you do and end up tired, I'll beat you up so much, you'll regret ever stay up late. I'm dead serious. I will do it." he said with a serious look on his face.

"Alright, I won't stay up this time. You have my word as your best bud. I promise."

"Good. I'll see ya later at school." Blake said with a smile as he closed the door behind Richie.

Richie thought and understood every word that Blake said. This game was important to not only to him and Blake, but to the rest of the team and the entire school. One false move would have him being either a laughingstock or the most hated member in the roster. He wasn't going to live it down like that. So he did what any man should do before a game this huge and that's rest.

"RICHIE, PIZZAS ARE HERE!" His mom yelled from downstairs.

"But first, it's pizza tiiiiime!" He said in a sing-song girly voice while going downstairs.

 _ **MEANWHILE...**_

Outside during the midst of the dark hour on a full moon, two dark, shadowy figures entered in a draconic cemetery. They approached further and further at the end of the funeral grounds. Among it was a small tomb. In front were two black dragons standing up with sharp silver spheres. Behind them was a red barrier that surrounded the tomb. No one can be able to go in with it being heavily protected. A sound can be heard from a distance.

"CRACK"

"Hey, you hear something?" the left dragon guard said. "Sounded like somebody was coming."

"Yeah, I smell something too. It smells like…*sniff* *sniff* *sniff*. Fallen angels. Two of em'!" the right guard exclaimed.

"WHERE! I DON'T SEE THEM!"

"I KNOW THEY'RE HERE! COME ON OUT COWARDS! NO FILTHY FALLEN ANGEL IS GOING TO GET PAST US. THIS TOMB IS HEAVILY PROTECTED BY US AND A THOUSAND YEAR OLD SACRED BARRIER!"

"THERE! I SEE EM'! RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!"

Two shadow figures were a little less clear to see by the black dragons. Both had the exact same hair over one eye hairstyle. One of the figures' eye was exposed on the left side and the other one exposed on the right.

"HALT! YOU ARE WITHIN 30 FEET OF THIS TOMB! WE ORDER YOU TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!" one of the dragon guards said.

"And what if we don't want to?" the shadow figure with the right eye exposed said having a male voice while smiling

"THEN, BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE INDIGO DRAGON EMPRESS, WE WILL ELIMINATE YOU!"

"Fine, we'll best be on our way." the figure with the left eye exposed said having a female voice

"THEN LEAVE!"

"But first, we just need to grab a few things. Soooooo, it would be best for you to…get out of our way." she said giving her fingers one snap.

*SNAP*

"Huh? "they both questioned in unison, when suddenly…

"SLASH!"

The two dragon guards' throats were slit by the short banged male fallen angel. The speed of fallen one was miraculous. With just one fast slash, a powerful light sword slashed both their throats at the same time during the same rate, instantly killing both dragon brothers. Blood spewed everywhere with their heads nearly decapitated from the speed of the sword. All was left were their unresponsive bodies in a puddle of dark, thick blood. They reached near the tomb, but were blocked by an invisible barrier protecting the tomb from being infiltrated by anyone trespassing the area. One of the fallen angels checked a stopwatch.

"Told them get outta the way. Guess they weren't fast of enough to dodge. 5.06 seconds. Not bad for a new personal best bro."

"PERSONAL BET, MY ASSHOLE! At that rate, I'll never beat Uncle Freed's two kill one slash record!"

"Would you calm down, Alexavier!? We're not here to break records. We've come to take what was rightfully ours. Now, would you mind telling me how to break the stupid barrier already."

"Alright Alright, damn, don't get you creamed up panties in a bunch." Affirmed Alexavier. "According to Uncle Freed, you just gotta fly up at a great deal of height to hit the barrier's weak point. Aim for the exact center of the barrier with your sphere of light, Alexandria, otherwise it'll get stronger with every chance we throw at. Your sphere of light is strong enough for a one shot or this mission is botched.

"Got it." she understood

Alexandria let out her black feathered angel wings and flew up 40 feet in the air. She casted a sphere of light out from her hand. With only her right eye covered, it wasn't necessary to close it to get the exact pinpoint on where it should land. All in her mind she thought little equations with basic geometry to hit the target. She throws the sphere in one go at the center top of the force field. As it lands it hits dead center on top in its exact weak point, the barrier disintegrated into tiny fragments until it was all dust in the wind.

"Bulls-eye." Alexandria smiled as she flew down toward the entrance of the tomb beside her brother.

"Nice job not screwing up. Now, time for the main course." Alexavier said holding a stick of dynamite in his right hand.

"You better not screw THIS one up." his sister said.

"Would you be quiet! I know what I'm doing. If I were you, I'd stand back like a cautious person would when a crazy ass like me is lighting a dynamite stick!"

"Hold on, where'd you get a stick of dynamite in the first place anyway?" she questioned.

"From Raynare. Before she got killed."

"Why?"

"N-None of your business!" he exclaimed

Alexavier grunted with words he cannot describe her sister at that moment. He let down the stick of dynamite on the ground in the front of the door while grabbing a butane cigarette lighter from his pocket to ignite the dynamite. Within seconds, the fire that had touched the wick of the stick started letting out orange sparks. Alexandria and Alexavier ran from a far away distance and hid behind a gravestone to take cover until…

*KABOOM*

The entrance of the tomb was blown to pieces. The fallen angel twins were began to access the tomb of the Indigo Dragon Empress.

"After you milady." Alexavier politely said

"Why thank you, oh kind sir:" Alexandria said politely as well.

As they entered inside the tomb, they noticed everything about the tomb in one sighting. There were dragon statues on each side of the wall. Four sides of the wall were inscribed in a different language. Similar to how the Egyptians used hieroglyphics. Two fire torches were beside the grave. The twins came closer up the stairs to the surrounding lit grave. On top of the the empress' grave, there was a transcription. Alexandria read out loud.

" _Here lies our queen and one of our great protectors for all dragon's united. Our lord and master, the Indigo Dragon Empress Aeris. May the powers and wisdom of Ophis bless our savior at peace."_ she read. "Not for long." she mummered. "Quick, help me push this top down."

Together they pushed the top lid down to the right edge of the coffin. The twins were in surprise and awe to see the remains of the empress. Bones of a thousand year old dragon empress were severely weakened from the decomposition. All it remains were her skull and bones that remain intact. Looking closely at the bones, they seemed to find what items they were looking for. The dragon's bone brittled arms were crossed. Each claw had two items. A circular indigo shield that still retained its shape and color after hundreds of thousands of years with a black seal that represented the welsh dragon. On top was held a razor sharp double edge sword with an indigo colored guard. The guard supported a green gem embezzled pommel on the bottom. However, there was one more item that attracted the twins' attention, the Welsh Dragon amulet. The amulet was a gift by the brother of the empress as she treasured it when she was first born as princess to her final days of death as queen. The amulet was made out of stone with inscriptions inside the outer circle. Inside the inner core on the amulet was a dark green emerald embedded inside. Legend has it, that the empress used the amulet to save lives during the times of the millennial dragon war. It was rumored that it was used as a secondary sacred gear with a supposed secret power capable of saving lives and taking down the most powerful of enemies, big or small. The two fallen angels' mission was almost complete.

"Finally, after all these years. We've done it. Soon with these three items including the amulet's power, angels and devils will soon bow down at the mercy of all fallen angels. We shall be the ones that reign supreme and make our Uncle Free proud of us once and for all." Alexavier preached.

"And we'll do so if you grabbed the stinkin' sword already!" Alexandria shouted.

"Fine, you don't have to shout so loud!" He said. "You grab the amulet and I'll grab the sword and shield."

Alexavier reached inside the coffin with his right hand aiming for the sword. Alexandria reached in with both hands carefully undoing the amulet around the neck. The brother grabbed the sword with gentle ease, slowly letting the bones go of the sword. The weapon was finally in his hands while his sister was still trying to get the amulet off.

"I got the sword."

"Good. Now wrap it up so uncle can tinker with it later."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long beige cloth to wrapped the sword in. The sword was all tied up, having him placed on the floor. Meanwhile, his sister was still working to get the amulet removes.

"Help me get this amulet off." she told his brother.

"You're still having trouble removing that thing?"

"I'm trying my hardest here. This thing is made of like solid steel or hooked on to something that locks. I can't get this chain to come apart.

"Here, let me try it"

The brother attempts to undo amulet several times, but they were all unsuccessful.

"Shit! This thing is tough as nails. There's only one way to get this damn thing out of there."

"What's that?"

"BY FORCE!"

He had no choice but to yank the chain fast and hard. The chain was broken but the main piece of the amulet was still intact. The power of Aeris is now in the hands of the fallen angels. Suddenly, the two heard a haunting, ominous female voice inside the tomb.

" _Geeeeeeeet ooouuuuuuuut"_

"Okay sis, knock that crap off." he insisted

"Knock what off?" she replied

" _Geeeeeeeet ooouuuuuuuut"_

"That!"

"I'm not doing that, you saw me not moving my mouth just now."

"Are you sure it wasn't you?" he questioned

"Yes! Bro, would I ever lie to you?" she replied with a smile.

Alexavier's eyebrow rose up in question. His sister has lied to her in the past, but those were just jokes and for play.

"OK, I may have lied a few times, but this shit is serious. I wouldn't kid around with you in a situation like this"

"So, if it wasn't you, then who…was...it...then?" he said looking inside the coffin

" _DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE"_

The eye sockets from the skull of Aeris began to glow bright red. The fire surrounding the coffin grew into a huge inferno within seconds. The twins fall back to their reaction to what's going on. The dragon statues against the wall began to shake by themselves. The whole tomb itself began to shake, as if an earthquake was about to happen. Pieces of the tomb began to crumble. Bunches of pebbles started to fall down on top of their heads. The spirit of the empress was awaken.

"THIS TOMB IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE!" Alexandria screamed.

"LET'S GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" Alexavier yelled.

"WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THE SHIELD!?"

"FORGET THE SHIELD! WE GOT WE CAME FOR THAT'S IMPORTANT! RUUUUUUN!"

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" she agreed loudly.

Alexavier and Alexandria were scared out of their minds about what they witnessed. They ran out of the tomb with only two of the three artifacts the Indigo Dragon Empress had held. The sword and the most powerful one, the Welsh dragon amulet. All but one item remained in the coffin, the Welsh Indigo shield. Inside the crypt, eye sockets from the dragon's skull were still glowing bright red until they were changed to a bright cyan color. The seal of the Welsh dragon from the indigo shield began to glow its color as well, supporting a great amount of energy to the shield by the dragon's spirit. Skeletal remains of the empress started to disappear along the energy. The combination of spirit and energy succumbed everything that was inside the sarcophagus into a spherical shape of an indigo colored light. The sphere shot up with an excessive amount of speed. It crashed out of the tomb and into the nighttime sky before the entire tomb collapsing in on itself. Leaving the entire tomb a pile of rubble.


	2. Chapter 2: The Summoning

It was now 1:45 AM. The nighttime sky was dark and cloudless with only a full moon that has risen above. The local forecast called for a full moon to be in the night sky with clear skies till' sunrise at six. The moon was bright enough to illuminate more light than the street lights on the sides of the road. The brightness of the moon shined inside the darkness of Richie's room. In fact, Richie loves having the moonlight in his room. He used to owned a nightlight since he was 4, but he grew out of it until he was ten, when he wasn't afraid of the dark anymore. However, this night wasn't a very calm one to him. He body was suffering from night sweat. Both his pajamas and the sheets from his bed were damp. This was a indication that he was having a bad dream. He was tossing and turning for every minute he was dreaming in his current sleep cycle.

 _Meanwhile in his dream…_

The inside mind of Richie was all white. The entire void and space of his current mind was nothing but white. Until a faded yet blurry figure was coming clear. That faded figure was Richie with his eyes closed and lying down back flat on the floor. When he appeared he started to awake. His eyes opened and all he sees was nothing but white. He stands up instantly while rubbing his eyes.

"Where am I?" the boy said "Where's my bed? What is this place?" he starts questioning.

 _Mind…_

"Who said that?!" Richie says looking all over the room. He checked his surroundings both behind and beside him. No one was around him. He felt freaked as if he was starting to hear voices in his head.

 _Mind..._

"Hello?!"

 _Mind…_

"Mind? Mind..." he started to think. "OH! I'm in mind?! This is so weird, yet it feels impossible. I was just sleeping. I must be dreaming or something."

 _Correct…_

This _is_ all a dream now. But if this is a dream then I can wake myself up now. I saw this in a many cartoons, all I gotta do is just slap myself or make myself get hurt until I wake up, that shouldn't be too much if a problem. Oh well, here goes."

Richie stood up and took a big deep breath with a big gulp afterwards. He got his right hand ready, and struck himself to the face with a great amounts of force back and forth, cheek to cheek, both turning red. His eyes were completely shut hoping in vain he would be awake back in his own room. His brown eyes opened up and was still in the white void in his mind.

"I...I don't get it. I would've came back to my room right now. How is it that I'm still here? I thought being struck wakes up a person outta their dream. It's like I have no control. What's going on?"

" _Listen. Please."_

" _Oh, it wants me to listen to what has to say. I better be quiet._ He said in his mind. "I'm sorry, please continue."

" _Thieves. Fallen Angels. My Sword. My Amulet. You. Only hope."_

"I'm the only hope? The only hope for what? You said something about thieves, but what about them? A-and fallen angels? I don't get it. Hello? Please tell me more! I wanna know more!"

" _Soon. Goodbye."_

"Wait, don't go! Hey! Come back! I want to know what it all means! If i'm the chosen one, then what am I supposed to do! Hello!?"

A huge white light flashes right in front of his vision. Richie could only do is shield it with his arm but it was too late either way. He disappeared out of the void. Back home in his bedroom, his body was tossing and turning from the dream he had. His body sweat went from damping the sheets to practically being on the same level as wetting the bed. Richie then opens his eyes. His vision was blurry at first but it would soon come into clear when he rubs his eyes. Looking around, he realizes that he's back in his room.

"I-I'm back in my room. What the hell just happened? W-Why is my body so wet?" He says while he checks the sheets. The sheets were wet came to the conclusion that he did not wet the bed, but it was the excessive night sweat from his dream. "Oh, yeah that dream. What the heck was that all about? The voice. She said something about me being the only one. Fallen angels and thieves? What else did she say?

 ***** _ **FLASHBACK**_ *****

 _My Sword. My Amulet._

 _ ***FLASHBACK ENDS***_

"A sword and an amulet? What's the connection between a sword and an amulet? Ugghh, it's so confusing." He grunted. "I'll probably figure it out after breakfast."

His cell phone rings on his bed beside his pillow. The caller ID read "Blake". Richie immediately picked up the phone to accept the call from his best friend.

"Hey, you called?"

"DUDE, WHERE ARE YOU!? YOU GOTTA GET TO SCHOOL ASAP! I GOT GOOD NEWS!" Blake yelled.

"I'm at home. Just calm down. What's the good news?" Richie responds

"Tyrone called in sick today!" Blake told Richie.

"What?! Quit joking around! How could that be?" Richie questioned.

"I overhead the word from Candice, Tyrone's girlfriend, she was talking to coach a said that he's a major case of bronchitis. Which means three things, he'll be out of action for a couple of weeks, and he won't be playing in the tournament…"

"And we'll both have a chance to claim gold MVP ourselves. This is incredible, I mean sucks for him, but this is still great Blake!" Richie finishes.

"I know, I'm excited too. That gold MVP status is going to be good as ours. And that's not all!"

"There's more?"

"Yep. I also heard from a reliable source from some people who are working in the arena said that they're going to get a visit by a crew from ESPN!" Blake excitingly said.

"YOU MEAN WE'RE GONNA BE ON TV!?"

"On NATIONWIDE TV, online, the whole nine yards. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the nation are going to be witnessing our skills! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it! By the way, where are you right now? The whole team is already getting ready and so is the coach."

"I'm at my house still. I was about to get ready to eat breakfast. It's already 7:30 in the morning." Richie said checking his clock that was frozen.

"Breakfast? 7:30? You must've not set your alarm today. There's not even time for that Richie, did you forget the tournament today?"

"No, I didn't forget. What time is it now like 11, 12 noon?"

"It's 2:20 in the afternoon!"

"WHAT! YOU MEAN I OVERSLEPT!?" AWWWW MAAANN!"

"I told you not to stay up too late!"

"I didn't. I did what you told me. After dinner, I went straight to bed early."

"What did you eat beforehand Richie?"

"Just a pepperoni and bacon pizza my mom brought in...with peanut butter ice cream for dessert." He groaned with a face palm.

"Really dude?! Man, you know that gives you weird dreams! Look, can you get your mom to pick you up? Maybe she can give you a lift."

"No, she's all the way at work and I can't call her there. She said that she's attending a serious business meeting and I can't call her til she gets off. By the time I call her, she'll think I'm at the arena already and I won't be able to play with you guys. Hmmmmmm" he thought. "What if I bike all the way to school?"

"Do you know how long that would take?! You'll be lucky if you barely make it here"

"I know, but if I pedal real hard and real fast and get to the school with our shortcut, I might be able to get to the bus exactly on time before you guys leave. I can park my bike and lock it at behind the bushes at the front of the school. If I skip the shower and just grab my stuff and go, I should be able to make it earlier than that."

"There's an arena shower for the boys next to the locker room. You can skip the shower anyway. We'll probably have to shower up before and after the game anyway."

"Perfect" he said rushing to get his bag that is already packed. "I'll see you when I get there."

"Okay, you better hurry up. The whole team is getting ready."

"Gotcha, I'll see you at school." He ended the call. Richie jetted out from the kitchen, to the garage where his mom's bike is parked. It was a purple Schwinn women's bicycle that his mom used for her weekend exercises. Since his mom was at work, he borrowed the bike from her. Fortunately, there was an unlocked chain with a master lock and key next to the bike on the floor. While he was getting ready he starts to think about that dream once more. Maybe it _was_ the pizza that caused it and it was all just his imagination. He shook his head a little and tried his hardest to concentrate at the utmost importance and that's getting to that school.

Meanwhile, Blake is waiting on the bleachers with his phone in his hand hoping in vain that Richie would get here before the bus leaves. He starts to think he started to forget something else. He taps his foot repeatedly until he realized that he forgot to tell him about the shortcut. He reached for his phone again and began to dial his best friend. He puts the phone over his near until he hears a voice notification.

"Low battery power." The phone said as it shuts itself off.

"Great, just great." he sighed. "No problem, I'll just get my backup battery pack and charge it." He says getting his backup pack from his backpack. "Fortunately, this phone charges fast. _3% is all I need to reach him, until it hits it, I'm texting him. There's one more thing I have to tell him"_ He thought while plugging in his charger.

Back at Louise house, the teen had to double check to make sure everything was all set before heading out the door to the school.

"OK, bike and house keys in my pocket...check, cell phone with full battery power...check, gym bag with uniforms along with extra clothes...check, TVs off...check, and all lights and lamps are everything is off…check! Looks like I'm all ready to go, it's game time." he said grabbing his keys.

Just before he turned the knob to head outside, he heard a loud sound with a few long beeps. The sounds were very long and alarming, as if an emergency was taking place around his area. Richie hears the loud sounds, realizing it was coming from his cell phone. He goes to his homepage to scroll down the black bar from the top. There was one notification that only read, "Emergency Weather Alert". His thumb clicks on the notification. The message is read in a black background along with a link that connects to a website with more information. He reads the alert.

" _The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Southeast Everton County until 3:32 P.M. pacific daylight time. At 3:20 p.m. pacific daylight time, National Weather Service Doppler Radar indicated severe thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rain, strong winds, and slight possibilities of marble sized hail moving west of Everton County at 25 miles per hour. Please report any further information to the Los Angeles National Weather Service on our website or via Facebook or twitter."_

He rushes to the front to quickly open the door to check out the sky. The right side was mostly cloudy with no sunshine and little blue skies, while the other side was a dark greyish color with trees swaying towards to the west as winds started to gust. He can hear the thunder rumble for a short while right behind him. His face made a disgruntled reaction at the sky.

" _No! Hell no! I've been practicing too long for too hard. I'm not going to let a thunderstorm ruin this whole thing for me. That game is ours thunderstorm or not. I'm not gonna let anyone or anything stand in my way to take it all away from me, or I'll die trying." he thought exiting house, locking it after._

As he got on the bike, he got his right foot forward and his left foot back on the pedals. The movement of his feet started out slow, but as soon as he got the speed going, he sped up as fast as he can, as if he was cycling for the Tour de France with the school as the finish line. As he was pedaling, he can feel drops of rain falling on top of his head and in front of his face. It was a clear indication that the storm was moving at a faster rate. The rain was getting twice as heavy as it did before. The weather turned itself to a light sprinkle into a heavy downpour in mere matter of minutes. Lightning was able reach within half of a mile behind Richie. The thunder was so loud, it startled him, making his balance on the bike uneven for short periods of time. Riding a bike during a thunderstorm is dangerous, especially when the weather tends to be at its severe state. Richie didn't stop. He kept on pedaling until he makes it to the school, but could barely see from all of the rain going down. His left arm was used as a shield, while his right kept steering the bike. Finally, he comes across the elementary school that was connected to a crosswalk leading to the forest. He sees the shortcut Blake and him used to school with ease. With a balance of speed, he goes through the fence hole. The bike speeds down a muddy slope. The impact on the mud made a big splash. Tires were covered in dirt and mud. Mud splashes on the exteriors of the bike and his pants. The mud was so slippery and slick, he had to maintain control of his steering. Unfortunately, he lost control of the bike. Richie veered the bike to side, until a big rock was in his path. He closed his eyes very tight and braced for impact. The bike slammed on its side to the huge rock. Its gears and parts of the bike were bent and partially destroyed in a matter of seconds. Richie's body flew out the seat of the bike in a sideways motion, resulting in him tumbling down, down, down into a huge mud puddle flat first on his back. He could feel the pain and impact he had taken from that fall. His body had pause for a brief moment from what he took. For a minute, he got up on his two feet, but he could feel the mud oozing down from his back to his leg. He noticed the bike sitting on the edge of the huge mud puddle. Walking by to inspect the condition of the bicycle, he face palmed in disbelief. The fact that his mother's bike has been destroyed.

"Awwww crap! Now how am I gonna explain my mom about this?!" He explained picking up the bent bike wheel. "Well, at least I'm at the shortcut so I can get of here. Fast!"

Before he could get back on track, the heavy rain was coming down amongst the entire forest. Richie needed to act fast to figure out which way he needed to go so he can get to the school to catch the bus. It was there, he noticed something attached to the bark of a tree

"Hold on, isn't it that white arrow Blake told me about. Yes! Now we're getting somewhere! All I have to do is keep heading where the white arrow will lead and I'll be outta here in no time flat." he said.

He starts hearing a loud rumble of thunder that startled him at an instant. The storm was getting real close. Thinking fast seemed to be the right way to go in a situation involving a thunderstorm.

" _OK, gotta think quick. That storm is coming by real fast, even with all this heavy rain, so there's no time to lose. The bike is totaled, so riding is out of the question. Blake said there's a cave ahead and I got about thirty minutes before the bus departs. So all I gotta do is just get to the cave at breakneck speed, get to the cave to change into my extra clothes, and be outta there to get to the team on time."_

At that moment, Richie ran as fast as he could to get to the cave, with the heavy rain as its only obstacle. t was the only means of shelter to change out of his muddy clothes into his backup clothes. He ran across the forest with his gym bag in the rain. The cave was a quarter of a mile from where the white arrow was. The teen ran as fast as he could, but heavy rain shower was getting worse than before. Richie did not have an umbrella, so he had to use his jacket to shelter his head from heavy downpour, which made his view better while running. A few more feet, Richie spots a cave Blake mentioned.

"Finally, now I can change outta my dirty clothes." Richie said.

Entering the dark cave was a good place to take shelter during the storm for a short while. He sets his bag down beside a rock. Moments later, the muddy jacket was hanging on a tree branch so the heavy rain would clean the mud and dirt off the outside if the jacket. Digging into his bag, he finds extra pair of clean blue jeans and an extra solid blue shirt. Richie puts them on as fast as he could so he would not waste time in the cave. He also noticed a plastic shopping bag inside his gym bag. It was a good idea to put his old clothes inside the bag so his uniform won't get dirty.

"There. Fresh, clean clothes. Now let's take a look at my jacket."

Richie walked up to the hanging tree branch that has his jacket. Mother Nature did its job to get most of the mud off the jacket. It still left a little bit of stains here and there, but he did not mind one bit. He puts the jacket back on, only to notice that it was damp from the rain.

"It's damp, but it'll do. As long as the jacket is as almost as clean, I'm alright. I can clean it some more when I get home from after the game."

After getting his jacket, he turned around and noticed something brown and moving. A small, yet mysterious creature was going through his gym bag finding something it wants. Richie's eyes widen as he was startled.

"OK, I don't know who you are or what you're doing but you need to get outta there now." He called to the creature.

The being didn't listen to Richie it still was searching through his bag. Richie had another choice but it was a dangerous one.

" _This could be one of the stupidest moves I would ever do as a human being, but I gotta get close enough to see what that thing really is and what it wants in my bag. But, I got to be very quiet and careful so I don't startle it." He said in his mind_

He tip-toed slower and closer, step by step with every inch he moves toward his bag with the creature inside. He reaches his hand out to carefully grab his gym bag back. When suddenly, the creature pops it head out of the bag revealing itself to be a small, brown bear cub with an energy bar in its mouth. The cub appeared to be 5 months old and hungry. It was desperately gnawing out the plastic to get the bar.

" _Oh, it's just a little bear cub. The poor thing must've been hungry it wanted one of Blake's mom homemade energy bar. Make sense."_ Richie said to himself until…

 _GRRRRRRRRRRR!_

"What's that sound? Wait a minute, bears live in caves and this cave is home to **this** bear cub. So, if the cub is not the only one here, then…"

 _ROOOAAAAAAAR!_

In the darkness of the cave, Richie sees to glowing yellow eyes in the distance. The eyes move closer and closer until it revealed itself to be the mother of the cub. The big brown bear stood tall and roared a mighty roar. He sees the bear in its stance, getting ready to attack.

"IT'S THE MOTHER! I'M GETTING THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" he screamed.

Snatching his bag, he quickly runs straight out of the cave. He was scared out of his mind that he didn't want to turn back. As soon as he ran, the mother bear started charging behind him. Richie was getting from the bear as fast as he could. The bear was coming in faster and faster. Following his scent and gaining more speed to chase him until she's ready to him. Richie stopped dead in his tracks until he spotted a big tree right in front of him.

"I gotta climb this tree. Climbing that thing is my only means of my life being saved. Only, I don't know how to climb." he said upon panicked realization.

He tried many feeble attempts to climb that tree. Gripping on tight with his hand didn't work. Getting his footing in and attempting to hang on to the tree was another failed attempt. His last attempt was to hug the tree and jumping his body more upwards toward the branches. But he wasn't strong to hold the tree, resulting in him falling back down. He steps back a foot with his face hung low in front of the tree until he feels something breathing from behind his head. He turns around to see the mother bear, staring dead center at Richie. His body stood frozen, not being able to move a single inch

" _This is it. I'm done for." he thought panicking_

The bear stood up and roared once more signaling her next move. Richie closes his eyes full of tears. Not knowing he would die like this, he said his last words before the bear begins to strike.

"SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEE!

Suddenly, in the dark clouds amidst all of the heavy rain and strong winds, a huge bolt of cyan lightning flashed from the clouds.

SHBOOOOOOOOM!

Within a blink of an eye, the cyan lightning blew away the mama bear back within 30 feet backwards as if a nuclear explosion happened right in front of her face. She ran away back to her den after the blinding strike nearly killed her. All that remained, was a smoking, black symbol that was directly at the exact position where the teenager was. The shape of the burnt mark was a triangular symbol that represented a dragon. Richie had disappeared.

* * *

 _Moments Later_

Richie was lying down face first on his cheek on a white, solid ground. In fact, his entire surrounding was all white. All of the parts of his body felt very limp as if they were like jelly. He could not move his body a single centimeter, except for his eyes. The white room made his eyes squint a little more from bright room. His ears were ringing as well, so he could barely hear a thing. His eyes opened later on with a few blinks to get his vision cleared up. Eventually, the ringing in his ears stopped and the feeling of his body were back in just seconds later after he opened his eyes due to the brightly lit room.

"Mmmhhhmmmm" he said stretching while sitting. "What happened? Where am I?"

He looked around the room, which seemed to be familiar to him before.

"This place. Hey, I remember now, this was in my dream before. But, why do I get the feeling that this feels more real than before. Not to mention, how'd I get here anyway?" He starts to question.

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

" _SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEE!"_

 _ **SHBOOOOOM!**_

 _ ***FLASHBACK ENDS***_

"That's right. I got struck by that lightning at the forest earlier. That bear almost killed me. Wait. Does this mean that I'm…dead and this is purgatory?"

"Actually, you neither dead nor in purgatory young one." a mysterious, yet voice said.

"Who said that? Hello? God? Is it really? If it is, I'm sorry that I stole a dollar from Blake's wallet weeks ago. I was hungry and he owed me a chocolate pudding pop anyway. I'm so sorry that I put salt in my 3rd grade science teachers coffee in order to get back at her for giving me an F while I was absent for a test. How was supposed to know she would end up in the hospital with high blood pressure?"

"I am not what you humans refer to as God. However, I was worshiped by many." the voice replied.

" _You humans?" Richie thought._

"Alright, so if you're not God or a god, then tell me. Who are you or what are you? And how did I get here?" Richie firmly asks while standing with his both fists balled up.

"For a human like yourself, you sure seem to question a lot. Very well. Please turn around so that you and I may talk. All your questions will be answered." the voice told him

Richie understood the voice's request by turning around to finally see who the voice of the white room really was. As soon as he turned around, he sees a glowing, sparkling, indigo colored, ball of light.

"Gaaah!" Richie screamed before stumbling back down to the ground.

"Surprised? Are you not?" The orb asks.

"Well...kind of. Yeah. I never thought that a voice that beautiful would come in a talking ball of light. No offense."

"None taken. After all, this is my final spiritual form before I disappear." She sighed.

"Final form? Disappear? What's going on here?"

"I apologize. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aeris, known only as the Indigo Dragon Empress. I have brought you here in this void because I have summoned you."

"Wicked! A dragon empress?!"

"Yes, you see during your slumber a while ago, I was trying to communicate with you of an urgent crime that has taken upon me and the fate of humanity as we know it. I only had to communicate through telepathy, but it was the messages were barely going through. Moments later, I had to summon you in the only ways we can talk better, by lightning strike And that's how I brought you here." she revealed.

"So wait, all that what said in my dream earlier came from you?"

"Yes."

"And all of those sayings. Thieves, fallen angels, your sword, and your amulet. I understand now! It was a cry for help." He realized.

"Correct. Now that you know about why I summoned you here, I request for you to carry a very special task, chosen one."

"Chosen one?"

"Correct. A group of fallen angels snuck in a draconic cemetery. They reached my sacred barrier that kept from anyone from ever entering my tomb for more than a thousand years. Unfortunately, those fallen angels managed to break my barrier, killing two of my guardsmen in the process."

"Ouch! Then what happened?" Richie reacted

"The two disturbed my sarcophagus. Allowing themselves to lay eyes upon all three of my treasures given by my family. One stole my sword, while the other stole the most powerful treasure of them all, the Welsh Dragon Amulet. As soon as they ransacked my grave, they've stolen two of my items, my spirit awoken, which caused the tomb to crumble into a pile of rubble. The two got away with both the sword and the amulet, all but leaving one weapon behind."

"That's horrible! Taking someone's most valuable treasures from another person's grave!? That's **so** wrong and messed up in so many ways! Those two ought to pay for what they've done to you." he said balling his fists in anger and disgust.

"That's where your journey comes in. I am urging you to accept this task. If those fallen angels manage to purify my artifacts to completion, they'll harness the amount draconic power from my amulet combined with their holy power to destroy anything in their path, or killing anyone in their sight. With their amount powers combined, they'll use it revive my comrades that died along the war and have them obey their every command against their will. You must retrieve all three of my weapons. Bring them back to my grave, so that my tomb will be fully restored to its original state. Upon afterwards, you will be sent back through my magic from whence you came. Those three artifacts are your key to ever returning home. The choice is yours and yours alone." She requested

Richie looked down to realize the tough choice he has to make. He heard all what the mighty empress said. He had a sick feeling in his gut about what those fallen angels did to Aeris. Especially when she's a Empress with power. No one should ever be treated to have their grave robbed, even if it is a dragon. No living being should suffer from that. It was either say no and stay in this room in complete limbo for all eternity or be a man and listen to the empress. Work his way to not only fulfill her duty, but to get back home to his family and best friend as safe as possible. If he says, yes, getting this artifacts will be a challenge, but it's the only way if he ever wants to go back home. He has now made his decision.

"Aeris, I've made up my mind!" he exclaimed

"What is your decision young one?"

"I've come to decision to take part in this journey. Not because of the fact to get back home, but to seek vengeance on those that disturbed your peace and took what was rightfully yours. This is a promise I shall keep and will continue to keep until the job is done." he vowed.

"Your choice is at the utmost of excellence. I am humbled by your wise decision and I hope your choice makes it the best out of you and your journey. However, there is one more request I have for you."

"Yes ma'am. Anything."

"Allow your body to host my spirit, as a result, I shall grant you a gift in return." Aeris requested.

"Uh...Yes, your majesty. Understood" He responded.

As soon as he accepted her request, Aeris' spiritual orb slowly came towards the Richie's body in front of him. She forwards herself inside Richie at an accelerated motion, causing Richie's vision to see a hard, white flash for a brief few seconds. He shielded his eyes from the flash with his left arm. When the flash was gone, he lets down his left arm and shook his head for moment until he opens his eyes.

"Huh? My right hand!? What the hell this thing?!"

Richie was shocked to see that his right hand was turned into an indigo colored mass gauntlet leaving his fingers uncovered. The dragon-like gauntlet had a bright cyan jeweled embezzled in the center with two miniature golden spikes jutting out from the sides of the gauntlet.

"This is your new tool for your journey. The Indigo Sacred Gear. With it, you can utilize this tool against your enemies on your behalf. When the time comes, unleash your sacred gear at your potential. For now, it is not the time use the sacred gear." Aeris said as the cyan jewel.

The sacred gear glows itself into an indigo color in the form of its shape. Then it disappears revealing that his right hand was unharmed in any way.

"Hey! My hand is back!" shouted Richie.

"Remember young one to keep this sacred gear to yourself. Having someone powerful enough to extract yours or any other user's sacred gear can and will be deadly. Be cautious when you unleash your power."

"OK, I got the idea." He confirmed. "So what's next after this?"

"Your first objective is to enter through that portal which will take you to the new world where my artifacts are currently residing. I sense that they are not at the underworld as we speak." She insinuated as a small glow on top of his right hand. "Find the user that has a sacred gear similar to what you have. That user should possess the power of the Red Dragon Emperor. He and the user will help guide you. Your mission as the Indigo Dragon Warrior starts now.

Richie sees a cyan and white swirling portal standing twelve feet in front of him. He walks up towards the portal and by reaching toward the entrance, he slides his finger inside and out to get a decent feel. The motion of his finger made a sound wave, similar to how touching water creates an effect of waves.

"Hurry! There isn't much time!" She ordered.

"I heard. I just never went through an entrance that takes you to another universe." he acknowledged while backing up to get a proper running start. "Only times you see things like that are in movies and cartoons. Well, here goes."

"Good luck, young warrior Richie." she told

"Thank you. Now, let get your treasures back." He said prepping a running start, as if he was an Olympic athlete getting ready to do a 100 meter dash.

The teen counts down. Three...two...one… After he says one, he sprints right in front of the portal. He keeps running until, jumping in head first, his whole body gets turned into thousands of tiny fragments while being sucked into the wormhole. The portal quickly disappears as soon as Richie enters. The quest on restoring the Indigo Dragon Empress begins.

* * *

 _ **Well, that's the end of the first two chapters of High School DXD New World. I had this planned out and noted since summer vacation and there will be more to come in the coming months or so. It depends considering college and all. I hope you guys enjoy it and I guarantee you'll expect more. This is one of those stories that I wanna do just to pass the time until a Season 4 of HSDXD comes around. Even if the new season is announced, I'll still be making more chapters of this fic for the rest of the year til the next. I have plans for a sequel but, I don't wanna rush it too much. Hope you like it and until then, take care.**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Arrival

The young teen was lying down on his stomach with his hands crossed under his head on the grass beside some big trees. The trees were as big as 30 feet tall providing some shade to the throughout the forest. The sun was shining in most of the spots where the trees branches couldn't make any shadows up above. He continued to sleep until a blue bird landed in front of him. The bird pecked it's sharp on his forehead repeatedly with with every second. The young teen squinted his eyes by the annoyance of the bird, giving him a minor headache. Richie was soon awoken by the bird and proceeded to gesture his hand to brush the blue bird that soon flew away. He tries to stand up on his own two feet as he then stretched out his arms.

"Man, what a nap." He yawned while rubbing his eyes.

After he stretched, his body felt heavy all of a sudden, spacing out for a moment. His arms and legs were heavy like carrying huge plastic bags full of pudding. On one knee, he began to take even breaths to calm himself down. His body then went back to its normal state, having the teen getting back on his feet once more. Looking around, he sees tall trees and big bushes surrounding him. The humidity in the air felt different albeit smelling fresh and clean.

"Where am I?" He questioned. "Come to think of it, how long was I out?"

He had a recollection on what had happened earlier. Being summoned by a dragon empress to take part in a task he had promised the empress. Two fallen angels had stolen two out of three artifacts from the empress' tomb and now has to get them back before any damage gets done.

" _Aeris' weapons. That's Right! Now I remember!"_ He thought smacking his fist downward on the rest of his palm. _"I gotta get the sword and the amulet back if I'm ever going to get back home!"_

He walks slowly inside the middle of the forest until he can find some civilization and call for help. As he proceeds to walk around the forest, he skin starts to get chills. The forest was giving him a constant reminder of what had happened to on how he was summoned here.

"Alright, this is getting me so anxious right now. At least it's broad daylight. Not a cloud in the sky or a thunderstorm in sight." He said while looking at the sky.

Richie continued to look up and kept on walking forward at the same time. His eyes were glued to the beautiful blue skies that he did not pay attention to a big root he was going to walk in front. His front ankle got caught in the root, losing his balance and eventually tripped.

"OHSHIT!" He shouted.

His body fell forward from the root he tripped on, rolling downwards on a hill. He tumbled down until he landed on a thorny bush that broke his fall. Richie rolled himself out away from the bush to a ground made out of brick and concrete. One of the thick thorns from the bush gave Richie a big cut on his left cheek. The teen got up from the fall as he brushed himself down, making sure there's no dirt on himself. He immediately felt a slight sharp pain on his face. He glided his fingers on the cut he received from the bush.

"Ssh OW!" He winced. He sees blood from the tip of his finger. The cut was still bleeding downwards from his cheek. The pain was still hurting.

" _Aw crap, I'm bleeding. If only I had my bag with me." He grunted. "Too bad it's millions and billions of miles away in another world. I'll just go find a doctor or anyone with a first aid kit and get this all cleaned up. Til' then, all I can I can do is cover it up, but what choice do I have."_ He said to himself.

He sat up from the concrete ground with his right hand covering his cut on his cheek. Turning around, he notices up close a huge water fountain with a few metal benches and gas lamps surrounding the fountain. The fountain was gorgeous with its crystal sparkling water flowing downwards. Richie has second thoughts on cleaning his cut with the water from the fountain.

"I could fix my cut from the water fountain. Then again, I don't know what's in that water to begin with. Nah, this is a public place. I'm sure I'll be fine. Who would want to use water from a huge fountain to clean up injuries? But I gotta admit that fountain does look beautiful." He said.

He continues to walk when he finds a path that leads out of the fountain area and into another path that was long going into opposite directions of a small town. He rushes toward the long way path with his head turning left and right seeing a lookout of a few buildings up ahead. His brown eyes widen with a sigh of relief knowing now he wasn't lost anymore. He had found a new way out.

"Oh, thank God, a town close by!" He exclaimed. "Now I can get some help to figure out where the hell am I. Only, which way should I go?"

"WAHHHHHH"

Richie then heard somebody scream. It sounded like a female shouting from behind him.

"Uh-oh, it sounds like someone's in trouble! I better go check it out!" Richie belted.

He ran towards the right side of the long way path to follow to screaming sound. He then sees a girl from a distance that might be the source of the scream he heard, but what he sees next may surprise him.

"Hey, I heard you scream, is everything al-WOAH!" he screamed before covering his mouth.

Richie's face immediately turned light red and was surprised to see what he had witnessed. It was a girl that fell down front first with her rear end sticking out, revealing her white panties while wearing a red skirt with white lace on the bottom. Richie had his eyes focused on the girl's underwear. He immediately covered them up with his hands, while taking a sneak peek in between two of his fingers.

" _Sweet, holy, hot, damn, what a panty shot! I-No! Don't give into perversion that easily, Richie. You know you weren't raised like that. Just help the poor girl out like the gentleman you are."_ He thought to himself.

He shook his head to refresh his mind and ran towards the girl. As soon as he ran, he noticed the girl had blonde hair that was down over the back of her head, down on the ground as the girl lied there front first. It was as though she tripped on something. Beside her was a white bag fell on its side that was once filled with small bags. The groceries spilled right in front of the bag, scattering on the left side where it fell.

"Oh no, I'm such a klutz." the girl said.

"Are you OK?" Richie questioned her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." answered the girl.

"I heard you scream from the other direction. Here, let me help you."

Richie let out his right hand to pick up the blonde haired. He grabs her left hand, while the girl gets herself back up on one knee for support. As soon as he picked her up, the girl's face was finally revealed. The wind blew her shiny hair to the right with her emerald green eyes and innocent smile being shown. She had a slim figure while wearing white shirt with with black lines going down vertically that matched the skirt she was wearing, along with a black neck tie, as if she was in some sort of school. As soon as he sees her face, Richie's face was at a blank stare with his mouth a little bit opened. His face blushed for a bit, turning light red once more.

" _Woah! Check her out! That hair. Those eyes. This girl. What should I say?"_ He thought to himself while being dazzled by her cute looks. _"Timeout Richie, there's a cute girl standing right at you. Just be you, introduce yourself like a gentleman, act casual and don't get so nervous."_

"I-uh. I...I...A-A-Are you alright?" He stammered.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me up." the girl responded with a bow.

"Hehe, n-n-no prob Bob." He said with his hand behind his back while smiling.

" _What the hell was that!? Why did you say that? Who says things like that?"_

"Um, I'm sorry to bother you but, I dropped my groceries while I fell, could you be a dear and help me get them back in my bag please?" she asked.

"Y-Yes, of course." Richie answered

He then started to help the blonde haired girl put her groceries back in her shopping bag. Fortunately, her groceries were protected with little plastic bags of a various variety of vegetables and fruit, two loafs of bread, bottles of spices, and a big wrapped slab of beef steak that would feed up to six people. They both worked together to get everything back in the bag. The blonde haired girl searched right while Richie searched left. They were down to one last item. The girl told him a bag of potatoes would be the final item to be brought back. Richie found a bag of potatoes lying under a wooden bench. He places them in the bag, making it the last item.

"Thanks so much. I do appreciate of you helping me getting my groceries back."

"It's no trouble. I gotta say, doesn't your bag feel a bit heavy carrying all that food? I'd be willing to help you." Richie said while giving her bag.

"That's very sweet of you, but I think got everything under control." She said.

"Are you sure? It looks like a lot to carry. I don't want you to trip over again and risk getting injur-SHH OW!" He winced holding his cut.

"Oh my gosh, are you pain?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's OK. Really. I-I'm fine."

"Is it you face? Here let me take look at it."

"No. No. It's cool. I can get someone like a doctor to take a look at it." he refused covering his cheek.

"No, I insist. Please, I can help you with your face. Just let me take a look, it will only take a few seconds."

"Well, if you know what you're doing, then go right ahead." He sighed lifting his hand out of the cut.

Richie moved his hand out of the way. The blonde haired girl took a good look at his cut. The cut itself was still open, starting to bleed again straight downwards to his chin. To him, the stinging sensation felt worse, as if it was starting to get infected.

"That's quite a cut. How did you get it like this?"

"I was at a forest near that water fountain park not too long ago, when I fell down on a big, thorny bush. I guess there was a big thorn that skitted my face that deep that I thought it was just a minor cut."

"I see. Thankfully, there isn't appear to be too much damage. Here allow me." She says putting her hands over his cut.

"OK, what are you going to do with your hands over my-"

The blonde haired girl's hands began to emit a powerful green light. The source of the green light was coming from a silver ring with a blue-green gem embezzled in the center that appeared. The light from the ring began to seal the cut back up, making it disappeared, as if it was never there. She removed her hands off of his face.

"There. All done." the girl happily said.

Richie moved his hand to feel his face once more. His eyes widen. He was in full astonishment when the cut that was there previously was gone.

"Hey, it's gone! You really _did_ fixed it! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. See, I told you there's nothing to be worried about, is there?" she smiled.

"No, not at all. That's an incredible power. How in the world _did_ you do that?"

"Let's just say that a magician never reveals her secret." She said sticking out her tongue. "I want to thank you so much for helping me."

"Yeah. Like I said, it was no trouble at all. Really. Only…" he stops with a confused look.

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"Well, you see, I'm sorta lost here. I don't know my ways around this area. You know the old saying, I scratch your back, you scratch mines? What I'm trying to say is, can you help me get to the closest town near this park?"

"Oh, you would want to go to Kuoh Town. That's where I'm heading." She told him.

"Could you please show me where?"

"Yes, of course. Follow me." She leads.

Both Richie and the blonde haired girl walked together on the same path the girl was walking to get back to her town in order to show him where the town is. The two were currently conversing with each other. Introducing to one another.

"By the way, my name is Asia Argento. What's your name?"

"I'm Richie Louisé, but most people I know call me just Richie for short."

"Richie, huh? What brings you here in Japan? Where are you from anyway?"

Richie's eyes widen some more. He couldn't tell her that he was from another dimension. Then it hit him. Asia told him his current location, Japan. This was the location where Aeris sent him on where the weapons currently reside, giving him a good lead on where to go. Now he knows where his location is currently, but he couldn't tell her about Aeris, his mission, or the weapons either. He tells her where he's from, but decides to make up stuff about what he's doing here in Japan.

"I-I'm from the state of California in the United States. I live in a town called Everton."

"The United States? Oh, so you're in some sort of foreign exchange program then. Are you going to school too?"

"Well no. I'm just here for a to visit. Actually, I came here to take care of some very, important business." he said.

"I see. Well, I'm sure you'll love Japan. Especially here in Kuoh town."

"I'm sure I will. Hey, what's with all the bag full of food?" He questioned looking at the shopping bag. "Are you planning some sort of a big dinner to tonight?"

"We are. It's actually a celebration for one of my friends. How should I put this?" She said with her finger over her chin. "He won a big chess match against a rival of ours at our school, so we're celebrating his victory with a big dinner party."

"So, you're part of a chess club at your school then?"

"Not exactly. It was actually a sanctioned match against another school. It's part of the activities I participate in our Occult Research club."

"Occult Research club? Oh, so you have a club that deals with supernatural 's so cool! I wish my school had a club that. But I gotta ask, why would a club that deals with finding out supernatural beliefs would wanna sanction a match in a game of chess between two schools of the same club?

"Easy. Our club president is a master at chess. She picked the best player to face him off. It was he, the other school's president, that wanted the match sanctioned. It was the clubs' first time ever in a chess match and against another school no less. I'm usually not the best player but I do manage to keep up."

"Interesting. I wish you the best of luck when the time comes once more." He giggled until he glanced at the bag full of groceries. _"_ Just looking it all in that bag, I can already taste the dish. Are you going to be cooking all of that?"

"Yeah, I'm actually a really great cook. In fact, the club members really like my cooking." She giggled.

" _This is turning out so great! I'm not getting nervous. I'm not even sweating or stuttering my words. No funky onion breath. I'm actually having a good conversation by walking and talking with a girl. Not to mention, she's so ridiculously cute!" he thought._

"Hey, there's the town!" she pointed.

Up ahead in front of them, they came across the town of Kuoh. The town itself was lush with trees on every sidewalk. It was bustling with people moving too and fro, getting from one destination to another. Also in front were a few restaurants, a clothing store, a nice ladies boutique and both a fruit stand and a grocery store. In fact, both Asia and Richie were in a district where the part of Kuoh town was riddled with stores and entertainment. Richie took a good look at the town. He was amazed on how the town looked clean and beautiful.

"Wow. Look at this place. This town looks so pretty. It's like El Dorado and Everton was fused together, but made it five times as beautiful." He said. "Asia, thank you so much for helping me find this town."

"It's my pleasure. I'm so glad to have met someone as kind as you this quick after your arrival here in Japan. Meeting you was really a blessing. It's I'm sure that I won't forget. Oh, which reminds me. I forgot to get the lemons and tomatoes." she realized.

"Do you want me to help you that?"

"No need. I only need a few of each. There's another grocery store just up ahead. I'll be fine. It was great meeting you. I do hope we meet again one day."

"Yeah, me too. It was fun talking with you. So I guess I'll see you later then."

"Thanks. You too. Have a good day, Richie. Bye!" She said smiling while running across the street toward the fruit stand.

Richie waved back at Asia, smiling back at her. He went about on his own way walking on the opposite side of the district. When he looked back about meeting Asia at first, his face turned slightly red. He then places his hand on his cheek where Asia healed his injury. He starts to think about how she manage to seal up his cut very quickly.

" _I do wonder though. How did she manage to heal my cut that fast? There has to be an explanation behind that power. When she mentioned that club to me, something felt very odd. She's part of a club that deals with magic and unknown phenomenon, yet she has a power that's very relatable. Are they somewhat connected? Make sense. Her power could very well be a magical phenomena. But, I'm not buying that magician thing one bit. Not by a long shot. I seen magicians in my world and they don't heal people's wounds. Sounds like she's hiding something. There's gotta be a logical reason behind all that. Then again, she sounded super nice when I talked to her. To be honest, I think she's one the first girls in a long time to have a smooth conversation and she's one of the nicest girls I've ever met."_

The curious teen kept on walking and thinking about Asia's power. For almost every minute he continues to think about, the more he tries to theorize about it. Maybe Asia was telling the truth. She could be some sort a magician. Or what if she could be an alien from another planet? It's unclear on who or what she might be? He then hears something across to his left. His left ear perked up for a brief moment. The sounds he heard were as best described as a certain type of pop music combined with repeated tapping on a button. He turns around to spot an arcade. The sign in front of the game read "Mode 7".

"Figgin' sweet! An arcade!" He exclaimed. "I haven't been inside one since me and Blake were 12. This is bringing me back so many memories. I better check to see how much have first before I play."

Richie digs into his right pocket to find his wallet. He had realized before that his mother gave him some money before the tournament began so he and Blake can go get something to eat with his teammates after the game.

"Ha! Got it." He said finding his brown wallet. "Mom gave me about twenty bucks to spend with Blake if I remember correctly."

He opens his wallet to find the money his mother gave him. The moment he opened, his emotions went into a confused state. He pulls out the cash to find out that his twenty dollars were turned into 2000 Yen.

" _My money! What the hell happened to my cash! I could've sworn I had twenty bucks in there. The only person that ever opens my wallet is myself. I always keep it chained so it was never really stolen in the first place. Unless…when I went through the portal and I guess whatever I had in possession back my world somehow changed? This is all getting to complicated. At least, the good news is that I can at least play. Even if I did had my American money, it wouldn't even work anyway."_

Richie proceeded to walk inside the arcade. The building inside was crowded with people sitting down playing on top-of-the-line arcade machines. The people were glued to the screens on the machines to concentrate their every move that they make from their controls. Inside, the building was ginormous. Left to right there were a variety of carcase machines from fighting games to the classics that were popular in the 80s and 90s. The place had a plethora a dance machines playing out any genre of music for the player to enjoy and dance in order to be the one of the top leader standees. Richie was amazed and flabbergasted when he first gazed inside.

"Sweet. Holy. Balls. I never seen anything like it. It's like every gamer's dream come true. This has got to be one of the biggest arcades I have ever laid my eyes upon in my life. I don't even know where to start." Astonished Richie with one tear going down his right eye.

Left to right and right to left, the selections were tremendous. He didn't know what game first. Should he play a fighting game to put his skill to the test or see if he still got any rhythm left in his feet on the dance machines? There were also options to play the old school games and space alien shooters. The possibilities were endless for Richie. He decides to go basic and try out a space shooter game. The machines were on the far right of the corner in a well dimmed purple lighting ambience. Richie goes forth to the right corner to select his choice of games. Upon arrival was a digital change machine that dispense 100 yen coins only. The machine had a touch screen in the middle with several language selections. Similar to how an ATM would work.

"Thank God, it has an English setting. Let's see English...insert bill" he said inserting his entire 2000 yen.

The machine asked if he wanted partial change. That meant if he want to get 300 yen in coins back, he can have the rest in cash back.

"I better do the partial change option. Might wanna save up to get some grub later." He selected.

He punched in the amount of money he wished to receive. The machine was processing the data to know how much he want to take out. The process was quick, only taking about five seconds to finish. On the bottom of the machine, it dispensed the rest of the 1700 yen like an ATM. On its left, it dispensed 300 yen he took out from the 2000 on a silver tray. He grabbed the three coins, placing them inside his jacket pocket and the cash in his wallet.

"Alright, now which one should I play first." He wondered.

"YEAH! C'MON I'M ALMOST THERE!"

Richie hears someone from a feet's away. Walking downwards, he sees an dance and rhythm arcade machine. In fact, the machine looked brand new with its new machine smell. The game was called Dance Fever X4 Ultimax. The look of the machine had two High-Definition screens right next to each other that would link up for two player competition mode. The controls were a dance floor with arrows only pointing up, down, left, and right. The machine also supported a railing to help the player control better or more fast paced dancing. A guy with short brown hair was standing in front of the screen with his feet pressing every arrow on every action to the beat of the music. He was wearing a red shirt complete with a white opened button over shirt. His pants were black along with white sneakers. His eyes were concentrating on every move he makes throughout the game. On screen, he was racking up the points as fast as he could possibly get. The score was now reached at over 350,000 points with the duration of the song having a minute left in its time. Richie could not help but to stare at the feet of the young brown haired guy. His fast paced movements impressed the young boy.

" _Woah. Look at him go."_ He said to himself. "I never seen a guy play a dance machine like that since...me. I wonder if I could beat that score of his."

"Here we go. Almost there" said the brown haired boy.

The clock counted. 5...4...3...2...1...Times up. The song was done. The brown haired boy stomped on both the left and right arrows, indicating the last steps of the song. He was sweating for a little bit while resting on the railing. On screen, a girl with short brown hair wearing a skintight red top with a matching skirt was jumping and yelling congratulations.

"Whew! Finally managed to beat that damn thing. C'MON that's gotta be a lot after all that!"

"Congratulations. You've set a new high score of 377,687." The girl said. "You are now at the overall leaderboard rank of #3."

"HAHA! Yes! Suck it, Motohama! I can't wait to rub it in his face. I believe this deserves a photo moment." he said pulling out his flip phone.

As he flipped open his phone, he immediately opened the camera application. He pointed the camera toward the screen showing the leaderboard along with his right middle finger on the lower left hand corner of the screen. Once he snapped the photo, he sent the picture to his friend Motohama with a text saying "SUCK IT! :P". The boy then hears a sound if repeated claps. He turns his head to the left to see Richie clapping his hands.

"Incredible. That was impressive the way you killed it on those dance moves."

"Thanks, pleasure's always mine." he bowed as if he was in the end if a play.

"This machine looks kinda new. How long has it been sitting here?"

"Just a couple of days ago. It's basically the sequel to Dance Fever X3. This time they added chicks in the game that cheer for you when you do good. My friends and I were burning this thing out since day one. It's getting so popular. Token after token, I spent nearly half whole allowance on this bad boy. Not to mention the new hot models they've added. Hot and busty gets me lusty!" Issei oggled the girls on the screen.

"Hehe, OOOOOOKay, So I guess this must be a popular place to hang out then, huh."

"Yep. Say, I haven't seen a guy like yourself around school or in any part of this town. You must be new around here. What's your name?"

"Name's Richie. Richie Louisé. I'm just visiting here from California by myself in an exchange program. That's why I don't go to school here." He said.

"Oh, then I'm Issei Hyoudou. Nice to meet you. How about you and me team up in a simple two player tag team match. I really wanna try out the two player option, but I don't have a partner right now. How bout it?"

"You want me to be your player two? I don't know, I mean, I-I'm good at dance machines but I just got here and I'm-"

"C'MON, don't be such a downer. Besides, you said it yourself you're good at these types of games." Issei said while putting his token in. "What's great about this machine is that it only takes one token a player for the two player team option. Downside is that it's only good for one session. It makes things so much cheaper than the prequel."

"Really? I ought to try that out someday."

"You should. It's a lot of fun. So go ahead, pick your song."

Richie took a good look at the screens. There was a plethora of songs arranging in alphabetical order and categorized by genre. He didn't know what to choose. From pop to country. To blues to dubstep. The options were plentiful. He skimmed through with the arrow button on the controls still deciding on what to pick, when eventually he would find a blue rectangular random button. Richie hit it to see what it would do. The machine automatically scrolled all of the songs when it stopped on the selected song, "Trip Innocent of D-" by C.G. Mix.

"Alright, we're almost done." Issei told Richie. "Now which difficulty you wanna go for, easy, intermediate, hard, crazy hard, or expert."

"Let's go crazy." he said selecting crazy hard. "I always play my dance machines on either to the second hardest settings. Gives me a great exercise.

"Whatever you say." brushed Issei. "It looks like this song was never played before. Looks like we'll be able to clinch the top of the leaderboard if we keep our pace up."

"Gotcha." said Richie.

"Players, get ready." the virtual bikini woman said.

The two were standing in the middle of their own dance pad with their hands holding on the dance beam behind them. The first three electric guitar riffs started playing to match in tone with the arrows coming up at a very fast rate. When the guitar riffs gotten faster, so did the arrows. Both Issei and Richie were in sync, scoring as a team of an even 25000 points to start.

Intersecting lines, calling out to the faraway sky  
Dancing under the cross, a shivering voice

I don't want to show you my weaknesses  
Receiving the wind's blow, I'll shake it off and move on

Release the impulse! Running about, building up a strong will  
I won't forget those eyes  
Shaking my memories, Draw×Delete  
This moment will be converted to tomorrow  
The light is reincarnated again, crimson trickles down my cheeks

Richie and Issei paced themselves as the arrows were moving at a constant speed of 4x. The two were performing well at a 64 combo rate.

"Right, up, down, down, left." Richie murmured.

Smiling mischievously, a Mary with white thorns  
Scars were engraved, colors are being buried

On your back, if you received even just a bit of the dream  
Protect it all the way, more strongly than divine protection

At the end of my troubled world, my heartbeats grow louder  
Meant to come together, the wish of my life  
To you who's drenched in tears, I'll draw an arc of hope  
The light is reincarnated again, surely this name is irreplaceable

Issei was sweating. The perspiration from his face was dripping down on the dance pad, almost slipping, resulting in breaking the chain of a 524 combo. He kept his stance and his eyes focused on the screen at all times. As for Richie, he did not break a sweat from his face or anywhere on the front of his body. The only parts of his body were his back and his palm that was resting on the dance beam. He maintained his grip on the beam while his palm kept on sweating. Both men were amazed on how long they managed to keep it up. The score was now at an increasing score of over 350,000 points.

When the uncertain future and hope came together  
The revolving feelings gently touched my heart

Release the impulse! Running about, building up a strong will  
I won't forget those eyes  
Shaking my memories, Draw×Delete  
Stand up and face the light  
Come on, the battle starts now, crimson trickles down my chest

That's right, I can't lose no matter what

The boys stepped on the last left and right arrows simultaneously, resulting in a tremendous 666 combo chain. Issei sat down on the dance pad indian style taking even breaths from the pace he couldn't believe they kept up. The sweat from his face was still dripping, soaking a little bit on the top of his shirt collar. Richie on the other hand was still standing with his hand holding the rail still, but was panting.

"Man, when they say crazy hard, they weren't messing around." Issei panted. "Great song I've ever heard all day, but a tricky son of a bitch."

"Amen to that." Richie replied while panting. "I wonder what's the high score."

"Congratulations! You two are the current overall leaderboard rank of #1 with a score of 382,644. Nice workout, if I do say so myself." said the virtual girl.

"Sweet! This definitely deserves a photo op. Here, richie here take my picture with my phone. Just hit the center button to snap it. I can't wait to see the look on the guys' faces." Issei told Richie handing him his phone in camera mode.

"OK, sure. As they say, a picture _is_ worth a thousand words" He replied.

Richie positioned the camera in front of Issei portrait style next to his side of the screen. Issei gave a thumbs up, a wink, and a smile as his pose. Richie pressed the center button as a shutter sound was heard.

"Got it! Now my turn." Richie said giving issei back his phone.

The two switched places as it was Issei's turn to take the picture. Richie stood beside his side of the machine with the leaderboard displayed on the monitor. He positioned himself standing next to the screen with his right hand balling into a fist as a the camera was focusing on his face smiling and the back of his right hand. Issei's hits the shutter button on his phone. The phone starts rendering the picture a little longer than Issei's picture. When the picture appeared, it was in great quality detail with the colors being rich as usual. Although Issei was impressed by the picture, he also spotted a green dot on the back of Richie's hand. He was puzzled yet mesmerized on how the picture came out. He paused for a brief moment to figure out what it was, but decides to brush it off afterwards and blame it on the lighting in the arcade.

"Hey, is something wrong with the picture? You wanna take it again?" Richie asked.

"Nah, it's nothing. My phone sometimes takes a little while for a picture to render that's all." waved issei. "Do you have a phone? I can send you a copy."

"Yeah, I have it with me. We can even exchange numbers if that's OK with you." Richie said digging in his pocket to find his galaxy.

"Sure, no problem." Issei agreed.

Richie digs deep with his front right pocket where he always keeps his Galaxy. Unfortunately, his Galaxy phone wasn't the one he was used to in his own world. Instead, the phone somehow was now a flip phone. The phone was s black, featuring the current time and date. When he opened the phone, the interior of the phone was all black with white letterings on the keys. Each individual key for the touchpad, including the direction button, had a glowing white luminescent light hidden inside the phone for easy reading in the dark and in place during the night. Richie's face gave it a surreal, yet shocking reaction. His eyes widen while his mouth halfway opened.

" _What the hell is going on?! First my wallet, now my phone?! This is getting way too freaky!" He thought._

"Are you OK dude?" Issei asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Nah, it's just that...you see…I have two phones and this is the phone I don't usually take along with me for trips."

"You have two phones? What's the other one for?"

"Uhhh...it's merely just an old phone. I sometimes keep both my phones with me in case I lose one of them, but I sorta forgot my backup this time I guess."

"Oh. Well, do you still want a copy of your picture. I can send it to wirelessly."

"Sure, but can you help me. I seem to have forgot how to transfer from one phone to another."

"Here let me show you. Just hit little file transfer button the side of the phone and I'll send it to you that way."

" _THERE'S A FREAKIN' BUTTON JUST FOR THAT!"? he exclaimed in his mind._

"I never thought of it that way. Thanks Issei"

"No problem…aaaand done. Your picture is now in your phone and my number is in there as well. So, if you're ever in town again and if you need a dance partner, you know who to call."

"Thanks, it was nice meeting you Issei." Richie said extending his right arm for a handshake.

"Hey, same to you too." Issei responded extending his left arm to accept his handshake.

The two teens cupped each other's hands for a proper man to man handshake when all of a sudden, both of their bodies started to have a chilling sensation when the both shook each other's hand as if they were sensing something unusual inside of one another. Their pupils widen having their vision seeing black and white negatives of each other for a couple of seconds. During those seconds, Issei saw a brief vision of an indigo dragon, while Richie experienced the exact same feeling except he saw a red dragon. The two released their grip when they saw their visions.

"Woah. Did you felt that?" Said Issei holding his head.

"Yeah. It felt like I was spacing out for a bit." Richie responded.

"Maybe, I should take break from this game. I've been playing it so much it's making me space out." Issei chuckled.

The two chuckled at each other until Issei's phone rang once. They both noticed it, allowing Issei to pick up knowing who it was. It was a text message from Asia, letting him know that she was done at the fruit market getting last minute ingredients for his dinner party. She also tells him to meet him in front of the market. He responds to her text to let him know that he will be on his way.

"Is that one of your friends?"

"Yeah, I gotta meet someone to finish up a party were planning tonight. I gotta meet up asap to prepare. You're more than welcome to join if you want."

"That sounds cool. Thing is, I gotta take care of something important, so I won't be able to make it." Richie says rubbing his tensing right hand. "That and I'm by myself for the night until my folks get here. Plane delays so to speak. I can just find myself some shelter with ease or find a church to stay for the night. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Anyways, I gotta go. Nice meeting you Issei!" He shouted as he ran out the door waving goodbye.

"Yeah, you too." He said waving back. His left hand started to make noises, glowing was a green symbol on the back. meaning Ddraig was starting to talk to issei.

"Partner." Ddraig started.

"Ddraig? Hey, what's up?"

"When you first came into contact with that boy earlier, did you happen to notice something different him?"

"You mean Richie? He seemed like an OK guy. I mean, I didn't see anything like remotely wrong with him? Whaddya mean by different?

"I mean when you two first communicated with each other, did you or did you not sense an unknown presence around him?

"Actually, now that I think about it. When I shook his hand earlier, it felt like my body was tensed up for a moment. Then, in my mind, I saw a bluish, purple dragon that look...almost like you."

After Issei's sentence ended, Ddraig suddenly stopped talking for a few moments until Issei responds back to him by name.

"Ddraig. Ddraig! Did you hear what I just said?" Issei said.

"Yes. I suggest doing whatever you can to stay on your guard for now and if necessary, inform your master on what happened."

"OK, but I'm not sure how Rias is going to respond to that. I mean having a vision is one thing, but having a vision of a different dragon that looks almost like you. That's gotta be something."

" _Aye partner, I have a small sense that we'll see that individual once more."_ Ddraig thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4: The Date

Outside of the Mode 7 arcade entrance, Richie stood beside entrance against a concrete wall. His face was shocked while looking at his right hand. His right hand started to tense and shake, as if something wrong was going on from inside his body that's causing it. The sensation felt like if he was playing a computer game for a substantial amount of hours without standing and stretching.

" _What the hell was that?"_ he said in his mind having his left hand on his forehead. _"All of a sudden, me and this Issei guy were getting along. Outta nowhere my vision got... weird. Then, in my head…"_

His mind flashbacks to the moment him and Issei first shook hands. It was at that moment, his mind and body froze. The only image he has seen in his mind during that stand still was an image of a red dragon with a horn above the nose and three red and gold spikes coming out from the top of its head.

" _That dragon. A red dragon. What does is it all mean?"_

" _ **Find the user that has a sacred gear similar to what you have. That user should possess the power of the Red Dragon Emperor. He and the user will help guide you."**_

" _Was that red dragon, the same one Aeris mentioned?" he thought._

Richie was still puzzled. He couldn't know what to think about what had happened earlier. Could it be just an illusion in his mind that triggered it or could Issei really be the connection. As he was still processing that thought, a young lady with bat wings on her back was wearing a red dress with a white skirt under it hands Richie a small, brown piece of paper.

"Here, take this flyer" She says to him"

"Uh...thank you?" He accepts as the lady giggled and kept walking. "I wonder what this is for?"

He observes the small flyer. On the front of the flier, there was Japanese text on top, written inside a black border surrounded by roses. On the bottom, the text is translated in English giving him a better way to read. The bottom text read, " _Your wish shall be granted._ " However, what gave him a little more attention was the weird circular symbol in the middle. The symbol consisted of a rose encased around uncanny lettering and an unusual circular design.

"Your wish shall be granted? If only." he sighed as he put the flier in his jacket left pocket.

"Uhhh...Excuse me?" a mysterious female voice said tapping his shoulder

He turns around to see a stunning girl about both the same age and height. Her long grey hair reached down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were radiant with the color yellow. The clothes she wore supported a white off-the-shoulder top with black pants and sneakers. She wore two cross earrings and a necklace that matches the insignia.

"Uh, y-y-yeah. Can I help you?" Richie responds. _"Woah! Check out this beauty!"_

"Yeah. See, I'm trying to find the nearest fast food restaurant here and I'm really hungry. I was wondering if you might know about this town more than I do. I'm new here, so bear with me." she said in a sweet voice.

"Oh, w-w-well I'd l-love to help, but I'm new here in this town too, so I don't know anything about this place at all either. Sorry bout that."

"That's OK." she responds. "Hey, since we're both new how about you and I look for one. Sound cool?"

"Uh, sure. By all means. I'm getting pretty hungry anyway." Richie says rubbing his stomach as the girl laughs. "Hey, I think I see a fast food joint up ahead."

"Really? Where?"

"Just up north. It's roughly about a few hundred feet from where we are now." He pointed to a restaurant with a red banner.

"Shall we?" she said joining wrapping her arm around his.

"Uhh...yeah, for sure." He happily responds with a slight blush.

The two make their way up on the sidewalk to attempt reach their destination by walking upwards. The young female starts the conversation by giving her name.

"My name is Alexandria, what's yours?'

"I'm Richie. Nice to meet you, Alexandria. What brings you here to Japan?"

"I'm on a special assignment for my school's culture research club in the UK. I was born here in Kuoh Town, but I actually go to school in the Eastern part of England. I've been attending at my institution since I was around 10 years old. It's a great school.

"What's it like in England compared to here in Japan?" He questioned.

"Pretty different. Y'know the fish and chips, which is typically just fried fish and french fries. As kid, I always thought it was just dead fish and potato chips." She chuckled. "But in all seriousness, England is a magnificent city. I love the scenery, the air is clean, and the people are very polite too."

Richie enjoyed listening to the girls conversation with him. as it the conversation kept moving forward his stomach kept growling. He wanted something made fast. Richie loves fast food joints and so did Alexandria, so he tries to see whether or not a fast food restaurant was nearby. Fortunate for them, there was a fast food place conveniently a few hundred feet north from where he was. As soon as he spots it, the two dashed upwards on the sidewalk. They make it in front of the building. The red banner on the store front of the restaurant reads, "WcDonald's."

"WcDonald's. Odd name for a restaurant but it'll have to do. Anything to get my stomach filled."

"Mine too, let's go inside. I'm sure the food is good." she said with a smile.

They proceed to walk inside the restaurant. The smell of french fries made his stomach growl longer and louder. Luckily, there was no long line. The two walk up to the cashier to order his food.

"Hello, how can I help you today?" the cashier said.

Richie looks up at the menu to find a staggering yet, a variety amount of selections to choose from in the restaurant. There were so many options to choose from he could not make up his own mind. From chicken sandwiches to hamburgers, he didn't know what to choose from. When he decided what he wanted, he opened his mouth only to be cut off by Alexandria.

"We'll each have the medium, number 10 combo meal, please." she said.

Richie was a bit crossed, yet stunned. He wanted to tell the cashier lady what he wanted to eat but he also wanted to know how did Alexandria know what he decided. Lucky guess much?

"Alright. Is there anything else you would like?" The cashier said.

"No thanks, we're okay for now" Alexandria told the cashier.

"OK, that'll be ¥1700."

Richie reaches down inside his pants pocket to pull out his wallet to give the cashier the rest of his cash. Prior to giving her the cash, Alexandria, once again, cuts him off. Only to cover the food on her bank card.

"It's OK Richie, I got this." She offered.

"It's alright. I helped found the way for this place. The least I would do is pay the food for us. Besides, you're a little new to this place." He suggested.

"You're new here too. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know where to look. Now, I'm paying you back the favor. No ifs, ands, or buts. OK?" she told him sliding her card in instantly receiving her receipt and giving him a big wet kiss on his cheek along with a smile.

The teen boy's face froze with his mouth mid open of how amazed he was that he got a kiss. His first kiss from a girl. Not from his mom, grandma, or any relatives, but a kiss from an actual girl.

"We'll deliver your food when it's ready." the cashier smiled.

"Thanks, have a good day." Alexandria replied to the cashier

"C'MON Richie, our table is waiting."

"Yep, sure, mmmhmmm" he said walking toward the booth to sit right in front of the new girl who kissed him still in a dazed state on his kiss.

" _SWEET HOLY HARMONY! MY FIRST KISS! JACKPOT!_ Exclaimed to his inner self. " _But wait, I don't even know this girl that much and we just met. AH, SCREW IT! A KISS ON A CHEEK HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING. AND THIS WASN'T AN ORDINARY PECK ON THE CHEEK, THIS WAS BIG WET ONE! Alright Richie, get it together! You're on this lunch with a totally hot chick. Those eyes, that hair, that face, and those…ta-tas! I wonder what they must feel like. So firm, so hypnotizing, and yet, so voluptuous. No! Focus...on...the girl, not by her boobs. Don't get intimidated by her."_

"Is everything alright, Richie?" She questioned.

"Oh, uh yeah everything is...swollen..I mean swell." He chuckled while sweating.

"I hope I didn't rush you too fast. For you see, when I first got here in this town, I was trying to finding my way through the town to work on a research assignment about how culture so rich as Japan can celebrate different religions. Taking pictures of shrines, churches, and all sorts of amazing places that worship their god. When I came here in the middle of this town, I saw you wandering around aimlessly in front of the arcade. It was at that moment, I felt a slight sense of connection. I was so nervous to talk to you. Kinda think of it, it's been quite a long time since I talked to a boy of my age. I'm usually shy when it comes to talking with someone of the opposite sex. Don't you ever feel the same way, Richie?" she told him putting her hand on top of his.

"Honestly, yeah. You have no idea what it feels like for a boy like me talking to a girl face to face. Typically, I tend to get nervous. Not knowing what to say or what to do. But this time, it feels pretty different. It's like, ever since I started coming here, I'm not having this issue anymore. Back in the US, I was always scared. Feeling of being rejected by a crush or someone you know, not knowing what will happen next. I guess talking about sorta makes it feel kinda better." he says.

"I feel the same way." she replied staring into his eyes as the two came to their faces closer for a kiss until they were interrupted by a waiter handing over their food.

"I got two medium chicken nugget combos. Here's your order guys!" said the waitress.

"Thank You!" Alexandria replied

"Thank You." Richie then replied also.

 **MOMENTS LATER**

"So then, me and my friend Blake were thirsty. His mom was at work and we had the whole house to ourselves. The only drinks we could find in the fridge were soda, orange juice, and a gallon of purple stuff. I said to him, "What the hell's purple stuff?" "Only one way to find out. I'll give you 10 bucks to drink half the bottle." he said. I drank half jug and in the next few minutes. I started having having this intense rush of speed and adrenaline.10 minutes later, I started running around his house 20 times, then I said to myself, "If I could run this fast, I can go back in time like a freakin' delorean!" I ran almost 70 feet outside of Blake's house and that moment I thought I hit 88 miles an hour going back in time, when in actuality, I slammed through his garage door."

Alexandria started to laugh loudly in the restaurant at Richie's funny story.

"Now, thankfully I wasn't injured. Just a few cuts and bruises. But my mom had to pay the damages for my friends wooden garage door. When I came home my mom sat down with me in the living room and said, "You HAD to drink the purple stuff!"

Alexandria continued to laugh, slamming her hand a few times on the table.

"Oh my gosh, you are just too funny. I am so glad that decided to have my lunch with you. Y'know Richie, out of all the guys I went out, I think you're the most hilarious one out there." she said her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah. Hold on, let me go use the bathroom to freshen up really quick. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." she said stroking her finger under his chin.

"I won't." He chuckled.

Alexandria rushed into the women's bathroom. Fortunate for her, she happens to be the only person in the restroom. No one in any stall was around her. She quickly picked up her phone to notice the caller ID was her brother Alexavier. She immediately accepted the call.

"What!" She answered.

"Did you get him yet!"

"What does it sound like I'm doing, dummy? No! I didn't. I'm just now close to reeling him."

"Well, hurry your ass up! We don't have all day! You've been going at it for over half an hour already.. You should've reeled him in 15 minutes ago and I'm sick of hiding in this fucking trash can! What's the hold up!?" He fumed.

"I'm working on it. I was just about to when you called me!"

'Whatever! Just get him in so you can have Uncle Freed take care of the rest. He's been waiting since this whole thing got started in the first place. Don't screw this up like last time!" he closes down his flip phone hard

"Ugghh! Such an asshole!" she grunted.

Alexandria took herself a deep breath to regain her composure. She straightened her hair and washed her hands before exiting. She quickly exited the bathroom to sit back down to Richie.

"Sorry about that. My brother was calling me from the church not far from town."

"Oh. Was it something important?"

"No, he just wanted to let me know about the new time changing for our annual church sleepover. I told him all about you and how this date was going along. He said he very interested into meeting you."

"Wow, a sleepover? You guys do this every year?"

"Yeah. We've been doing this for well over 10 years ago, ever since I was a member at age three. Today will be our 11th anniversary. You're more than welcome to join us. We got movies, free unlimited food, and we can stay up as long as we like," She said placing her hand in top of his."

"Well… I _was_ looking for a place to stay since I got here today. I don't know about this church sleepover thing."

"Maybe this will change your mind." She said sitting up, walking towards beside him to put his head on her chest. "If you come to the sleepover tonight, I'll let you sleep with me. You can do whatever you want with me, however you feel." She said in a seductive tone stroking the side of his head.

In those exact words, Richie's expression was in awestruck. He never knew he would get this far. Already, he just met this nice girl and she wanted to sleep with him. Usually thoughts like that would never pass him. Even though he's at an age where the tail end of puberty is around the corner, he was often times curious about sex between two people of the opposite gender and how it's done properly. Never in his teenage life would a girl tell him to explore sexual activities.

"So, do we have a deal?" she tells him as Richie gets up from her chest.

"Wait a sec, are you sure that this isn't some sort of a trick or a prank against me?"

"Does this feel like a joke to you?" she told him grabbing his right hand, thereby placing his palm on her left breast feeling on the outside of her dress.

As soon as he felt her breast, his manhood felt like it skyrocketed at ludicrous speed. His heart was beating faster than ever before, his nose was about to bleed, his face started to sweat for a bit, and his face was turning a brighter shade of red, knowing that this wasn't a game. This was real. She really wanted him by her side. He thought thoroughly once more. Not only he was just transported to the new world about over an hour ago, but now he doesn't have any idea where to stay. Hotels are out of the question, not knowing how much they cost in this new world nowadays. There's nobody close to him that is willing to live with him. Rest was important to him, but getting those stolen artifacts are the number one priority. The only intel he has are the fact that the items are here in this country of the new world and fallen angels were the ones that have taken them in an unknown location. He makes his decision.

"Whaddya say?" she seductively says as she gazed into his eyes

"It looks like I have no choice. Sure, I'll come over. But I'm doing this so I can get a good night's rest, the free food, and maybe even...a bit of fooling around wouldn't hurt." he agrees.

"Great!" she hugs him once more. "You're going to love the church I grew up in. My brother is an excellent cook. He's the one that'll provide us all of the food tonight. Maybe you'll meet my uncle too. He's actually the reverend. Why don't I take him to you right now, the sleepover should begin in about another hour or so.

"Cool, Let's go. I could use some fresh air after that meal we had. The more I stay in the restaurant, the more I'm gonna eat. I'll practically explode. You'll have to hose me down."

"HAHAHA. I swear you are so funny." she giggled.

The two teens headed out of the door to go to the nearby church that Alexandria mentioned. As they were walking along beside each other, Alexandria decides to hold Richie's hand along the way. Richie felt his heart jumped and hold her hand a little tighter. About a few miles away from the church, the "couple" spotted another teen walking in front of their path. Richie spots Issei walking along the same sidepath as the two.

"Hey, Issei!" Richie waved.

"Richie? Hey, what brings you here? Did you already found a place to stay?"

"Oh, nothing too much. Just walking along with my new girlfriend. Alexandria, meet Issei. He's pretty much the first person I've met and hung out since I came here."

"Issei...Issei Hyoudou I presume?" she with her head down and a devilish smile.

"Yeah, how do you know my name?" he nervously asks.

"I've heard all about you. Pleasure to meet you." Alexandria greeted him.

"Y-You have?" Issei nervously respond

"You're the one who posses the Re...er, I mean, a robust perversion of the of girls with busty figures, am I right? No need to worry, I was visiting my brother's school at Kuoh Academy. I saw you getting chased by those girls earlier today. Presumably the Kendo/Martial Arts club. Thought it looked hilarious." she giggled.

"Yeah...you're...welcome." Issei responded as he leaned closer into Richie's ear. "Dude, It's your first day here, and you already bagged a chick this smokin' hot, AND SHE'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND?" he whispered.

"Oh yeah, and the best part about is that she's not from around here too. To top it all off, she asked ME out." he admitted.

"No effin' way." surprised Issei.

"Way." he whispers back. Anyways, I found myself a place to crash for the night. I'll be hanging around at the church closeby here. They're having their annual church sleepover tonight. I'm talking about free food, movies, and we can stay up whenever we like. It's gonna be fun!"

Issei's mind then was triggered of a dark occurance. An instinct very eerily similar when he first became a devil. He starts having these uncanny flashbacks of what had happened previously when he first entered in the fallen angel's church. He could then sense the presence of power from within Alexandria. Her power was very resemblant to Raynare's, but rather weaker than hers. Issei's left hand started to freak, shudder, and tense up, as if something bad was happening or going to happen.

"Issei, you're more than welcome come along with us." Alexandria reasoned to Issei.

"NO! I mean...I'd really love to, but the thing is Ihave somewhere to be and I don't wanna be late." he later reiterated.

"Oh. Well, it's cool. If ever decide to change your mind, you know who to call." Richie said.

"Sure thing, I'll see you later."

"Bye, Issei. It was nice meeting you." Alexandria grinned and waved.

"Yeah, same to you." Issei responded back as the two walked to their left side toward a sidewalk that lead them to the nearby church. Issei watched as he kept walking forward thinking.

" _That girl. She has the same sense of power Yuma had. It felt so surreal, but it was little weaker than her. Is she…a fallen angel? And Richie…what was she doing with her?"_

* _ **FLASHBACK***_

"Thanks, it was nice meeting you Issei." Richie said extending his right arm for a handshake.

"Hey, same to you too." Issei responded extending his left arm to accept his handshake with a firm grasp as both teens saw visions of each other's dragon, with Richie seeing the Red Dragon Emperor and Issei seeing an Indigo Dragon Empress that has the same look as Ddraig but a tad smaller with a different color.

"Just walking along with my new girlfriend. Alexandria, meet Issei. He's pretty much the first person I've met and hung out since I came here."

 _ ***END FLASHBACK***_

"OH SHIT!" he exclaimed turning around back to run the opposite direction that leads back into the hyoudou household where Asia and Rias are currently at. _"He's gonna fall into the same trap I did and that fallen angel bitch is gonna kill him. Just like me when I met Yuma or how Asia died when she took her sacred gear. Wait a sec..that vision I had earlier."_ he paused _._

Issei thought well in his mind when he and Richie made first contact, remembering how he saw an Indigo Dragon much familiar to Ddraig. He then had a sudden epiphany.

"Could it be that...Richie has a sacred gear inside him?" Issei starts to question.

Issei checks his phone to open his gallery folder in search of the picture he took with his phone. The picture he took of Richie has a glowing green dot located on the back of his right hand. He thinks it could be a glitch in the photo process or the lights in the arcade. He then decides to test it by taking a picture of his left hand where the spirit of the Red Dragon Emperor resides. Issei hits the shutter button, waits for the picture to load, and when the loading was complete there was a green dot showing on his left hand. His experiment was right. Issei was staggered by the results.

"Oh no! I gotta warn Rias and the others, fast! Before it's too late!" He exclaimed as he continued running back to his house.

 _ **AT THE CHURCH**_

It was now sunset. Richie and Alexandria made their way towards the front entrance of the church.

"Well, here we are, at my church. My brother should be cleaning the altar for a bit as he gets through cooking. Hopefully setting things up for the movie."

"Great, even after that lunch we had. I'm still pretty hungry."

Alexandria opens both doors of the entryway inside the church. The inside of the church's sanctuary itself was num average like any other church in town. Supporting 10 rows of pews on each side with a long blue carpet going down the aisle.

"This is a good looking church. Much bigger than the one my mom makes us go back home."

"I'm glad you like it." She smiled.

"So, where's the rest of the other people?" Richie questioned.

"Oh, you're just the very first one to show up. They'll be here in a little while, don't worry. In the meantime, why don't I show you to the room you and I will be staying for the night." she says having her shoulder wrapped around him.

"Sounds good to me." he agrees.

Alexandria escorts Richie to the altar of the church. Two doors were on each side of the church. She takes him to the right side of end. In front, was a big brown door that made a big creaking noise when it was opened. The echo of the noise can be heard from all the way inside the church. Upon entering, Richie notices that the insides of a huge room was completely empty. No windows, no TV, no mattress, not even an actual bed. The room was an empty space, nothing but dark, murky, brick walls surrounding it, along with a dimmed down light bulb, which was the only thing luminescent in the center of the room.

"Is this our bedroom?" He asked.

Seconds elapsed, Alexandria did not respond.

"Hey Alexandria, did you hear me? I mean, I'm a fan of huge spacious rooms as much as the next guy, but this feels really weird." He responds, but no response back from Alexandria.

"Hello?!" He started to shout as he walks in further toward the center of the room.

 ***SLAM***

His body stood frozen for a moment by the sudden sound of a door slamming behind him. He rushes with toward the door until…

 ***PRICK***

He felt a sharp stinging sensation on the side of his neck, as if a hornet came down and stung him hard. His finger felt the point where the pricking of his neck took place, when he felt a strange thin liquid flowing from the side. As he felt it, he had first thought it was blood coming down, but it wasn't, instead was some sort of suspicious blue liquid. He then came to the conclusion immediately that he was injected by some sort of drug. Richie tried and tried to get back up on his feet, but the further he tried to get closer to the door, the more the drug took effect to his body. Immediately slowing down his mobility to stand or even move. The drug stopped him dead in his tracks, lying on his back, making him paralyzed. Richie then hears footsteps nearby him. Loud footsteps mixed with the sounds of rattling chains. The person walking by next him was none other than Alexavier, Alexandria's twin brother.

"Well, howdy-hoop-de-doo to you. I believe we haven't met yet. Names Alexavier." He introduced face to face as Richie lied flat on his back, only seeing the face of the twin brother with black wings sprouting out of his back. "So you're the little assclown that went out on a little rendezvous with my sister, eh? What _did_ you two talk about that day? No, wait let me guess! Where you two are from, what about your likes and dislikes, or how about the thought thinking that this was a "sleepover" and that you were gonna some "action"? He laughed hysterically loudly.

"W-What are you gonna do with me?" Richie whimpered. "I'm sorry! I would never ever go down on your sister like that! See, she came onto me and, she felt like she needed someone. Please don't hurt me! I never meant for any of this to ever happen." He pleaded.

"Woah. Woah. Chill out kid. I'm not gonna hurt ya."

"Y-You're not?"

"Nah, "hurt" is a very weak choice of words. Besides, you got some spunk going out with my sister. You look like the type of guy that would do no harm. You're alright." Alexavier soon accepted.

"Whew, that's a relief." Richie sighed.

"Now, I _would_ let you go, _buuuuuut_ that's too easy. I'm not gonna go out like that."

"Then what are you gonna do with me" Richie questioned.

"Oh it's quite simple really." He responded revealing unleashing his sharp, very luminescent light sword. "I'm gonna take that lousey sacred gear of yours from your poor retched soul! Say ahhhhhhh!" he shouted raising his light sword up high when a certain someone opened the door with great force make cracks behind the brick wall.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Exclaimed Alexandria.

"SIS, WHAT THE FUCK! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TAKE THIS BOY'S SACRED GEAR. JUST LIKE YOU SAID." he shouted back almost decapitating Richie with his light sword.

"NOT BY FORCE, YOU ASS!" She shouted. You have to do an extraction procedure, just what Uncle Freed said. Honestly, you're so close minded sometimes. You always have to resort your way!"

"Hey, look who's talking, !" Alexavier teased.

Richie looked up at the two arguing about the whole situation. The drug was still in effect in his system, making him tired even more. He tries to do whatever he can to fight the drug by keeping his eyes opened and alert, hopefully to overpower drug. Alexandria looks over at the drowsy teenager with an evil smirk on her face knowing that Richie is going to face the inevitable.

"Besides, we got what we wanted and it's lying down right in front of us. All we have to do is extract the Dragon Empress out of him. Using its power and the sacred gear, we and the fallen angel race will be unstoppable. Oh what it would be if the governor of the fallen angels were to see this!"

"Shall I summon the priests then, so no one would disturb us while we do this procedure."

"Hmmmmm, nope. No priests are needed. I think I got this under control." She insisted.

"Are you sure want to do this? Think about the consequences you'll receive from Uncle if you manage to screw this up."

"No need to worry little brother. I already told Uncle about our plan and he willfully agreed with no avail." She informed him.

"Wait! _Our_ plan!?" Alexavier shouted.

"That's right. So if I screw up, I'm taking you with me and we both suffer the same fate. Got it!?"

"I swear sometimes you always find a way to bullshit on me."

"That's what big sisters are for and I don't think any angel or a filthy devil is going to infiltrate this church until we get what we want." She says looking down at Richie raising her be big, black boot above his face.

" _Angels? Devils?"_ Richie thought as his eyes were nearly shut when…

 ***THUD***

"Nighty Night, Richie. Hahahaha!" she laughed maniacally.


	5. Chapter 5: The Rescue - Part 1

CHAPTER 5: The Rescue Part 1

The sunset was almost over as the sky was turning from a bright orange to a dark blue and purple evening haze. As the sky was changing, Issei Hyoudou was running back towards his house where both Asia and Rias were getting the dinner party ready in celebration of Issei's victory against, Riser Phenex. However, the party will likely be changed for another day. With every breath he exhaled, he ran as fast as he possibly could to tell the princess of Gremory something absolutely urgent. Originally, Issei was supposed to go to the nearby convenience store to pick up a bottle of olive oil for a dish Rias was preparing, but due to his instincts, he had no choice but to turn back and tell the others what happened. How was he going to explain Rias that a kid he barely knows is going to get himself killed by a fallen angel. How was he going to explain the mysterious connection between him and Richie? He remembers the last time him and his comrades went inside the fallen angels' church. Rias was strongly against it, but believed in Issei and his sacred get that they would become victorious in the end. This time, it was different. He has to convince Rias and Asia to go the church to rescue Richie before it's too late. Issei finally arrived at his home. Attempting to unlock the door with a very fast pace, he successfully opens the door, bursting through. The burst can be heard from inside the first story of the house, where Asia and Rias were busy in the kitchen making dessert. They both see Issei panting very heavily behind an open door.

"Issei, you're back so soon?" Asia said.

"That was very fast for getting olive oil." Rias said.

"I...don't...have it." He panted bending down with heavy breaths. "We need…to get...Koneko, Kiba, and Akeno, fast!"

"Is everything alright?" Asia questioned pacing toward Issei.

"Issei, what's the matter?" Rias also questioned following Asia.

"I have to tell you two something. Something you guys wanna know."

"Why? What is it? Just tell us what's wrong?"

"Here, drink some water." said Asia giving Issei a glass of water.

"Thank You." Issei accepted taking big gulps of water while clearing his throat to talk. The three sat down next to each other on the sofa.

"Now Issei, what was that you wanted us to know about? What's the trouble?"

"Okay, what I'm about to tell you two could be a bit weird, but i'll start from the beginning. Here I go." He starts. "Earlier today, I was at the arcade, as usual, playing Dance Fever Ultimax, when this guy shows up. I assumed he was chilling around at the arcade when he saw me playing the machine."

"Did he try to threaten you in any way?" Rias assumes.

"Actually, no. We got off on a good start. He seemed like a cool guy. I asked him if he wanted to join me as a player two. Before you know it, we're hitting it off pretty well."

"So that, was it? You two were just dancing?" said Asia.

"Yeah, b-but I'm not done yet. See after the game, we took pictures of our high score to show off Matsuda and Motohama. He took mine and I took his. When that happened, I saw this." He told the two pulling out his phone showing the picture of Richie with his front right fist where a green dot was spotted on his hand.

"Hey, wait a sec. That boy. I've seen him before." Asia pointed.

"You have?" Issei said

"Uh-huh. He was the one that helped me with my groceries earlier today."

"So you're not the only one that met him? Asia, did you happen to sense anything from him. Something from within him since you two first met?"

"Does he have a name?" Rias speaks.

"No, not at all. He seemed like a very nice boy. When I met him, he was lost so I helped him find his way into town. He told me that he wasn't from around here. If I remember exactly, I think he told me his name was Richie. Why do you ask, Issei?"

"Before he left, we traded each other's contacts. We became friends until we shook hands. When that happened, I swear, in my mind, I was seeing a weird vision."

"A vision of what?" Rias questions.

"It's as if I saw a vision of another dragon from within that looked almost like Ddraig." he says looking at his left hand where Ddraig resides.

"That does sound odd. Issei, are you for certain that's what you saw?" Rias asks.

"Prez, the moment I last saw him I couldn't get the image of that dark blue dragon out of my head. My body felt so different than it did before. With at any moment today my hand would tense up every time I think about that. The thought of that was all over me. I was positive that I sensed something inside him and so did Ddraig."

"So what you're trying to say is…" Asia says.

"I might've met someone that has a sacred gear. Call me crazy but, I might believe that boy has a sacred gear that's somewhat the same as me."

Rias and Asia were baffled to hear what Issei said in his last sentence. A sacred gear that was almost the same as Issei. The wonders were wrapped around the two pondering girls on how a potential sacred gear, or so having hypothetically, a boosted gear could be inside a boy like Richie if Issei was right about him having the same powers as him. Issei then begins to speak once more about Richie thereby finishing his story.

"Another sacred gear user?" Rias wonders.

"But, this is where it gets real. Richie told me that he had no place to go for today. I almost insisted he might want to crash at my place but he told me he was gonna go stay at a shelter or a church for the night." He gulps.

It was within that moment when Issei said church, Rias' eyes widen up a bit. She may know where Issei is getting at with this story. The same goes for Asia having the same feeling.

"While I was out getting the olive oil, I saw Richie walking down the street with this girl, saying that she's his "girlfriend". This girl he introduced me to knew who I was. That's when my devil's instinct started to kick in. Something wasn't right. It was then on I knew that Richie's so called "girlfriend "has almost the same sense of power as Yum..err...Raynare."

"Oh no." Asia gasped in a sacred state.

"That is quite a story you've told us, Issei. But I must ask, how can you be so sure that boy has a sacred gear. Where's your proof to support that claim?"

"I was hoping you might say that. The proof is all here in this picture." Issei shows Rias the photo of Richie at the arcade. "Look at this photo I took of Richie. Notice this green dot on his right hand.

"Issei, that could be anything."

"That's what I thought it was at first. It could've been the phone's fault or the arcade's lighting, but it wasn't. When Richie left with that chick, I took 3 separate photos of my left hand where my sacred gear is in." He says searching for the photos. "Take a look."

Issei gives Rias his cell phone. She scrolls through the photos side by side to Issei's left head having the exact same green dot. One shot was in a normal distance, the next was at a much more further distance, and the last photo was in a much closer view. All three shots have the exact same dot. Rias was surprised to see it right in front of her eyes. She then gives the cell phone to Asia.

"Asia, you better look at this." She tells her.

Asia receives Issei cell phone from Rias to get a better, yet closer look at the three photos. She scrolls side by side, seeing the three photos. It was clear to her that they were all exact matches.

"It's a match. This is incredible. I never seen anything like that." she says before giving Issei back his cell phone.

"I know and there's only one way we have to do."

"You don't mean?" she gasps

"Yes Asia, we have to get to that church and save Richie before it's too late."

"Issei, I'm sorry, but I simply just can't allow it." Rias declines.

"What?! Why not?! The photos, my senses going nuts, c'mon prez work with me here. There's something about that boy and his power that's a possible part me. I just know it!"

"Listen. You're jumping way ahead of yourself here! I simply will not allow, under any circumstances, for you or any of my comrades to fall into enemy territory under that type of operation!"

"Rias." Asia mummered.

"I'm sorry Issei, but my answer is no."

"So what, you're saying we're not that strong enough for this rescue?"

"That's enough, Issei! You're on thin ice as it is!" the crimson princess exclaimed.

"Look at me! I was able to take down Riser, who was not only powerful than I was, but was able to regenerate at will with every blow and was practically immortal! Sacrificing what I had to not only beat him but to save you as well." he said looking at his left arm remembering how he gave up his left arm to save Rias from Riser Phenex. "I've been getting stronger than I was before. Not just me, but Koneko, Akeno, Kiba, and even Asia are getting better as we speak. Talking to you in a tone like this seems very disrespectful of you and I do apologize for that, but this is serious. I never felt like this before until now. I know I'm rushing it, but I wanna know this connection. Things have probably changed since rescuing Asia back then from those fallen angel douches, but we gotta try to something to save him. Please." Issei begs.

Rias turns toward around to Issei standing him face to face. Issei shuts his eyes hard thinking she might knock some sense out of him by slapping him or knocking him on his head, but instead, she cups her hand on his right cheek.

"Issei, I know how much you want to save him, but just going in head first without a plan is just completely dangerous. Even for us devils."

"I understand, but we can't just sit around and do nothing! For the first time, I found out something that could be a part of me as the keeper of the Red Dragon Emperor, knowing that someone with the same would have his life at stake." Issei looked down.

Rias and Asia looked at Issei, seeing the emotion that has brought upon with made them feel down as well.

"Oh Issei." Asia whispered.

Rias then attempts to speak with a quiet, yet deep breath and immediately let out a strong sigh.

"As much as I do not condone this in the mere slightest, and if what you're saying is believable Issei, then okay. We'll try to save your friend as best as we can."

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yes. However, there's one more thing I would like mention."

"Yeah. What is it?"

"Just remember that this _is_ your idea. IF AND ONLY IF anything in relation to this mission happens in one immediate fatality or mishap with any of us, there _will_ be dire consequences. Do you understand?" Rias told Issei in a stern yet very serious look on her face making sure that Issei understood every word that she has said.

"Y-yes ma'am." Issei gulped.

"Good. I'll round up Akeno and the others so we can get ready. _So much for our celebration."_ Rias sighed to herself in disappointed.

Issei looked behind Rias as she walked down towards the kitchen having a disappointed expression on her face. Issei too was also disappointed. He, Asia, and the rest of the gang were looking forward to the celebration of beating someone that was practically immortal, being it was a shame that it has to be postponed. Issei turned toward Asia with the same disappointed look Rias has, but disappointment wasn't the only expression she had. She also expressed fear. Being a former devout member of the fallen angel church plus having her twilight healing taken away from Raynare costed her life. She never wanted to be put through that kind of hell like that again. Issei began to sit next to Asia in an attempt to comfort her.

"Asia, you okay?" Issei spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that...everything was going so great until now." she said "I was looking forward to celebrating with all of us together since you defeated Riser. I don't blame you at all for this but, going back to that church once more…I..." she said once more with tears coming down her face.

"Listen, what happened at that church is all in the past. Raynare is gone and she can't hurt us anymore. Right now, I need you to be strong on this. I need you to be strong for us. We need you for this rescue."

"Issei, I don't know about this. Even if it is a rescue mission, I'm still a bit frightened about this." She said shedding another tear.

"How bout' this? Should anything happen to you, I'll protect you by any means. I'll stand by your side no matter what. I won't let anything or anyone hurt you again. I promise." Issei encouraged her while wiping her tears. "So whaddya say?"

"I say...If it really means this much that to you, then i'll come with you." She confirms.

"You will? Thanks, Asia. I knew I could count on you for this" he responds with a hug.

Asia's eyes widen as she was surprised by the hug Issei gave her. This hug was however different. Issei gave a deep yet tight hug to Asia. Knowing her she would do anything to make Issei happy. Asia then smiled, wrapping her arms around the shoulders of the Red Dragon Emperor in a caring embrace.

" _Whatever they've done to you Richie, hopefully you're still alive back there. We're gonna get you out. Just hope there's still time left."_ Issei thought to himself while still hugging Asia.

 _ **MEANWHILE AT THE CHURCH**_

" _Uhhhh…where...what's going on?"_

" _I'm gonna check on Uncle with what he's got so far. Right now, I want you stay here and guard our little subject."_ Alexavier told his sister. _"Should anything goes wrong, signal me with your watch."_

" _Gotcha"_ she replies _._

" _Those...those voices. My...body. Feels so numb."_

Alexavier walks into the left corridor of the church where his Uncle resides inside in preparation for their upcoming plan. Alexandria, on the other hand stands guard in front of a helpless Richie, whose two arms are tied up by chain onto a glowing black and green cross. His ankles are also tied up together by chain, thus making him unable to move combined with the drug that was in his system. He starts to open his eyes. His vision starts to be of a blur, but then it starts to become more clear to give him a good sight to see what's going on. Finally, he wakes up looking both ways beside him to see chains binding his arms and legs. He starts to freak out for a bit, wondering why this is happening.

"Oh goody, you're awake." Spoke Alexandria

"Alexandria. What...What the hell is all this?!" Richie question.

"Funny you should ask that. The plan is all going accordingly, just like I wanted it to be."

"Plan? Wait, what plan?"

"Oh, you don't remember? Probably when I stomped on your pretty little face after our little date ended on such short notice." She teased.

"What do want from me? Why am I all tied up? Answer me that!"

"Simple!" She shouted as she spread her wings out from her back, flying upwards to a bounded Richie. "Your sacred gear sweetheart. What better treat than any other but for I, a fallen angel like me, to extract the sacred gear of the Indigo Dragon Empress from a useless, pathetic, little weakling of a free-spirited human like yourself." She devilishly smiled.

"S-Shut up!" He shook his head. "And here I thought I trusted you, but you're a monster! A thief! A-And a deceiver!"

"Why thank you, love. I did not notice that."

"You know what I mean! But let me ask you one thing, how do you know I have the Indigo Dragon Empress in me? Why do you want my sacred gear or whatever?

"Two reasons. Number one, sensing sacred gears is in my blood. It runs in the family." she says while filing her nails. "Being a niece and a daughter of the Sellzen family has its benefits. That date we had was nothing more than a pure fisage. Reeling you into my uncle's church like a helpless fish out of water to become our big catch of the day, and BOY what a catch I've made!" she laughs maniacally.

Richie's head was facing downward. His eyes were closed with tears falling from his face. The heart shattering feeling of being used by someone he liked turned his world upside down. His teeth were clenching as he continued to cry. Drop by drop, landing on the altar in front of him.

"Oh, I almost forgot to answer your second question. Why, oh why, do I want your precious sacred gear so desperately bad? Haha! The Indigo Dragon Empress is the missing piece to our success. With the Welsh Dragon amulet and the mighty sword in our clutches, we are one step closer to ushering in a new era in this world. Angels, Devils, humans, and any other creatures in this pathetic little planet will bow for mercy at the feat of the fallen angels in a new breed of total domination! And we will destroy those who would dare try to stand in our way." She says clenching her fist in front of her face.

"Hold on, amulet...sword? Fallen angels? It was you! You and your brother were ones that broke into Aeris' tomb and stole everything!"

"Finally! Took you long enough. But, we didn't take everything. There was a shield we were supposed to snag, but my idiot brother somehow disturbed the spirit of Empress. The crypt was collapsing the moment we tried to get our hands on it. So, we just left it behind and took the two that we need."

"You...You're not gonna get away with this!" He shouted out of anger. "Not a chance in hell your plan is gonna work. I hope and pray your plan effin' backfires after what you did to me."

"I believe I already have gotten away with it, my dear Richie. It was nice getting to know you a lot. I really did enjoy our little rendezvous. Too bad it had to end like this. I'll make this easier for you, I'll make the extraction process less painful by giving you this one last kiss."

Alexandria flies towards to Richie. Her face moves in closer unto his until she plants a big kiss on the lips. The young male teen's eyes widen as Alexandria's were closed. Seconds later, Alexandria's tongue enters into Richie's, swirling with a deep passion of saliva, but unlike any french kiss, hers contained a knockout spell, which will eventually make him fall asleep, while numbing his mind from any pain during the ritual. His pupils turned into a solid brown as if he was in a hypnotic daze until his eyes were closed and his head dangled downward. A long line of saliva trailed off each other's lips as soon as the kiss broke up.

"Sweet dreams, boyfriend." she laughs after before sitting back down in the front row of the pew.

 _ **BACK AT THE HYOUDOU HOUSEHOLD**_

"Alright, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko should all be on there way right now." Rias told Asia and Issei.

 _ ***Ding Dong***_

"That must be them." she says as she goes toward the front door.

"That was fast." Asia spoke.

"That's the power of devil's teleportation for you." Issei tells her.

Rias opens the front door to reveal three devils waiting to enter. The first had a busty figure with purple exotic eyes, a black ponytail for a hairstyle with a yellow ribbon for fashion, and wore the exact same uniform that every female had at Kuoh Academy. The second had blonde hair and grey eyes. He too wore same black stripe boys uniform as Issei, however what stands out is his short, black necktie. Lastly, there was a short female that had snow white hair with yellow eyes. Like the rest of the girls at Kuoh Academy, she wore her standard uniform, however she wore a hair clip that resembled a cute face of a black cat as her accessory.

"Sorry, we're late." Akeno smiled.

"We came as soon as we got your call." Kiba said.

"What it do?" Koneko responded.

"Excellent, you're all right on time. Everyone gather round." Rias ordered. All members of her peerage stood standing, assembling into one group while Rias stood in front telling them the emergency. "Now then, I called you guys here on an important matter on our hands. Issei will tell you more on the details. Issei?"

"Uh, y-yes ma'am. Okay, here's going on." Issei begins to explains about the situation right now in relation to Richie and the fallen angel fiasco. The rest of the peerage were a bit surprised about Issei story. The connection between him and Richie, his visions, and a guarantee that someone's life is at stake over his sacred gear.

"That some story you told us, Issei. Are you sure that what you are saying is true?" Kiba told him.

"I swear to you Kiba, I know what I sensed.

"How long has this been going on?" Akeno asks.

"Just recently this afternoon. He was just some ordinary guy I met at the arcade until we shook hands and that's how it all happened" he responded.

Akeno asks another question. "What did he look like?"

"Well, he was almost the same size as me. He had brown skin with freckles, brown eyes, OH and his hair was black in a style of a mullet."

"A-And he also had a blue shirt with a black jacket over it." Asia added.

"Did you happen to know anything else about him?" Kiba also added. "Does he go to our school?"

"Actually, he told me he was a foreign exchange student. But I forget where's he from."

"California." Asia interjected.

Issei responded "What was that?"

"He told me he was taking care some sort of business while he was here, but he was never in any program."

"That's weird. Are you sure? He told me he was."

"I'm certain."

"Sounds like to me he's hiding something" Kiba said.

"Anyway, if we don't stop that chick from taking his sacred gear, he's gonna die the same way Asia did back then. Devil or not, I refuse to let anyone get their sacred gear stolen or even getting killed. I'm not sure about Freed or his new follower, but I can tell you this, we fought him once and freed Asia from him. I can be very certain that we can do the same thing to Richie. So, I am asking each and every one of you right now to help me. If we work together, I'm sure we can take down Freed and his goons as stronger as we were before!" Issei exclaimed with his boosted gear appeared and extending in his left arm to give team Gremory a hand stack.

"Mighty words of encouragement from the red dragon emperor. Anything to help you out in this rescue, I'm in!" Kiba said with his right on top of Issei's.

"Your cute speech really touched me. I thought I was about to cry. I say let's do it to bring your little friend back. It's been awhile since I had battle. Akeno jumped in with her right hand on top his Kiba's.

"I despise you as a pervert for everything you stand for, then again, this is a serious matter we're dealing with. Why not?" Koneko said with hand on top to join in. "Just out of the way, I'm only doing this because I have nothing better to do tonight."

"Okay, fine." discouraged Issei as he sees another hand joining in the stack. He gasped to know it was Rias, with her determined smile and impressed satisfaction of the way Issei handled it.

"I'm in too. Issei, I stand by your words with great passion. I maybe the princess of gremory and king of this peerage, but that certainly does not mean I'm going to stand around idly by and watch all my servants get massacred by the fallen angel's church. I'll do whatever, and however I can in battle to help rescue your number one priority. No one should ever go through, what one of my servants had before."

"Thanks, Prez." Issei nodded as he and the rest of the group turn toward a nervous Asia Argento, who was the only one not joined in. "Asia?"

"Well...I…"

"Remember, what I said earlier. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you or anyone else. Not while I'm around."

Asia remembered what Issei said beforehand. She took a big gulp, and smiled with a nod as a response with both her hand being placed on top of the stack. "Let's do it!"

"Alright, now let's go get what we came for. Akeno, would you mind making the jump?"

"I'd be honored to ma'am." Akeno bowed as the whole group gathered around each other to get ready to be teleported to the Church where Asia was once captured and now where Richie currently resides. Akeno puts her hands together below to summon a giant, red, teleportation circle. The circle swirled underneath the group's feet as it shined from beneath the floor. Access was granted with purple flames shooting from the edge of the magic circle.

" _I'm gonna get to the bottom of this and somehow get some answers. Just hang in there Richie. Let's hope you're alright."_ Issei thought before the entire magic circle transported them to the nearby church in a bright, flaming flash.

 _ **Guys, thank you so much for reading this chapter. I'm back to doing fanfictions now. It's pretty much a good way to kill time and something to do over the summer. I've been lacking on this for a while because I was working on another fanfic for Cardifght! Vanguard, which I'll be working on soon as well. I have plenty of notes gathered and sorted since last year and I will have it in written format very soon during the Summer. Just keep it locked, the story gets a bit more interesting.**_


	6. Chapter 6: The Rescue - Part 2

Chapter 6 - The Rescue Part 2

 _ **AT THE CHURCH**_

Inside a secret room hidden is somewhere inside the church, lies beyond three glass cases and one person present being the amongst infront. Two cases contained the stolen ancient artifacts, the sword, and the Welsh Dragon amulet. Both were contained in their cases, except for one. A man with silver hair and red eyes laughs maniacally in his insane state. The entire room was completely soundproof. No one outside the secret room or even inside the church could hear him.

"All is according to plan. HAHAHAHAAA!" the silver haired man laughs crazily. "As soon as I get my hands on that punk that has the sacred gear of the Indigo Dragon Empress Alexandria told me, then all of my items will be purified by one exorcist...ME! FREED SELLZEN! HAHA! HAHA! HAAHAAA!

Freed continued to laugh more and more about his idea, until he realized one flaw in his plan that made him slowly stopped laughing.

"If only this process wasn't slow. UGHHHH God, this is taking FOR-FUCKING-EVER!, it's like fucking dial-up on running molasses all over again!" he acknowledged by the small white meter bar on the base of the pedestal indicating how much holy energy is in each artifacts currently. The process is at 1%

"I knew I should've gotten job taken care of by myself! But, nooooooo. I have to take care of brats called my niece and nephew, that had to screw up one mission...ONE MISSION! If it was me out there earlier, this whole grave robbing thing would've been a breeze. I curse you Azazel. On any given day you had to call me, it happens to be the day that I would've gotten all my artifacts. No matter, as long as they don't manage to screw THIS one up, all is right in the world." Freed says as he proceeds to lick the empty glass case tasting his hope of a somewhat victory.

"Uhhhh...Uncle?"

"What! What is it? Oh, it's just you Alexavier. What do you want? I'm very busy here."

"Looks like you're enjoying yourself already, I see."

"Just get to the damn point!"

"Yes, I apologize. Alexandria has the boy captured and is rendered unconscious. The phase was a success and we are ready to proceed to the next phase with the ritual, whenever you're ready, Uncle."

"Excellent. Make sure you two do a quick double check. I want everything to be perfect for this extraction ritual. Unlike what happened last time."

"I'll let Alexandria know everything you've told me. I'm sure this ritual will be a smashing success." he says closing the door behind him.

 _ **BACK INSIDE THE SANCTUARY**_

Alexandria was still sitting in the front row of the pews with her legs crossed waiting patiently for her brother to arrive back. The doors open from the left corridor of the church. Alexavier walks up to his sister to update her on the extraction plan.

"Okay, Uncle told me that he's ready to go with the ritual. When those doors open, we shall begin."

"Cool, so now what?"

"We have to do a quick check to make sure we don't screw this up. Alright, got our subject?" he said as both siblings looked up at an unconscious Richie.

"Check!" they said in unison.

"Is he chained up tightly?"

"Tighter than he'll ever will be. Check." Alexandria confirms.

"Did you memorize the spell?"

"You know it. Been memorizing it since I was thirteen. Check."

"Did you put up the barrier to prevent any devil or ANY demonic creatures from entering this church?"

"What barrier?"

"YOU DIDN'T PUT A-! Are you fuckin' serious?! The barrier I told you to put up after we tied him up."

"You never told me to put up a barrier."

"Come the hell on, Alexandria! Now I gotta put up the damn barrier myself! You're real lucky that Uncle Freed isn't here to witness your lazy behavior. Be right back."

"Wait, where the hell are you going?!"

"I'm going to the top of the steeple to activate the barrier YOU were suppose to set up. If Uncle shows up and I'm not here, tell him I'm making one last adjustment to our plan. Just stay here and don't touch a damn thing!" Alexavier says running in the right side of the church as he makes his way up top the steeple to set up the barrier.

"Just stay here and don't touch a damn thing." she mimics her brother with her hands. She clinches her head to her shoulder when she heard a big slam at the door by his brother until she quietly under her teeth said, _"Asshole"._

 _ **OUTSIDE**_

While trying to stay hidden and not attract any attention, four of Akeno's familiars were on top of the trees to keep a lookout for any fallen angels approaching from voiding the mission. One by one, each familiar gave a thumbs up to the other until the last one, the green one, gives Akeno the thumbs up.

"Alright, looks like the coast is clear." the thunder priestess said.

"Thanks, Akeno." said Rias as the rest of the crew walked forward just 10 feet away from the entrance of the church.

" _Man, this place. Just looking at this gives me bad chills."_ Issei thought, giving himself flashbacks about how he once invaded the church to save Asia from Raynare. He shook his head to wipe away the bad memories in order to focus on the current matter at hand. _"No, I won't let any of my bad memories get the better of me. We're stronger than before. It's no cake walk, but it's all we got to save Richie._

Asia looked in front of the church as well. She herself felt shaken, yet stood frozen on what the fallen angel's church had an affect on her when she was abducted and shortly later died. Both of her eyes were about to water, as if she was about to start crying, but she then felt a hand on her left shoulder. She turned around to see Issei being right by her side.

"Issei?" she said.

"Don't worry, Asia. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you or anyone else now that we're here." he smiled down at her until she smiled back to dry her eyes.

"Okay." Asia smiled and nodded.

All members the continued to move forward to the church. Rias and Akeno stood behind Issei and the rest of the members of team Gremory, before Akeno stopped Rias. Issei and the others were already standing on the steps as she looked up toward the steeple of the church to see a shadowy figure with its hands in the air, as if that figure was preparing some sort of an attack.

"Hang on, something's not right." said Akeno.

"Akeno, what's wrong?" Rias questions.

"I don't know why, I thought everything was clear but, now I get the feeling someone's coming."

"How so?" Rias says as Akeno points straight up at the church's steeple. They both see the individual, being Alexavier, manages to cast a spell that will block any of every demonic creature, human, or living thing to come near the church.

"Everyone! Wait!"

"Huh? What's going…" Issei wonders why Rias halted him.

Suddenly, a white flash appears on the top point of the steeple. Appearing out of nowhere at a fast speed, a white barrier immediately surrounds the church. The barrier lands smack dab between both Rias and Akeno and Issei and the rest.

"It's a barrier!" Kiba exclaimed.

"What the hell?!" Issei shouted.

Issei runs forth toward the barrier to attempt to break it by punching it, however Rias and Akeno immediately shouted toward him to not break it.

"ISSEI, DON'T!" both shouted until it was too late. Issei attempts by punching the white barrier. As a result, it ends up burning his right fist for a moment. He feels the slight burn from the barrier, almost as similar to when he was once shot in the leg by Freed. He had felt the same sensation only the pain was slightly smaller.

"It's a barrier. Made out of holy energy. They've must've known we were coming." Kiba said.

"Yeah, but somehow the rest of you were lucky to make it to the other side of the entrance alright." said Rias.

"Issei, are you okay?!" Asia told him.

"Yeah, just that my first burns like a bitch for a bit."

"Here, let me heal you for a bit!" Asia puts her hands together to try and heal Issei's hand, but Issei puts both her hands down, rejecting her twilight healing.

"No. I appreciate your help, but don't waste your energy on me. Save it for when we get inside. I'll be fine."

"So, what do we do now?" Koneko questions.

"It looks like we have no choice. You four will have to fight and rescue Richie alone while Akeno and I stand guard outside."

"But prez, we both need you for the fight!"

"Issei, don't worry. Akeno and I will be fine on our own for now. You said it yourself. You and the rest have become stronger since that fight with Riser. I know you can do this, Issei. You, Kiba, Asia, and Koneko. I have faith in all of you in this mission. Now go!" Rias expressed her belief in her peerage.

 _ **INSIDE THE SANCTUARY**_

"Barrier is all set up."

"Good. Now all we have to do is wait, so we can get on...with…it?" Alexandria said as both she and her brother heard a door open from the right side.

"It looks like we don't have to wait anymore." Alexavier chuckled.

Freed made his way out of the door, walking along the the sanctuary where both the niece and nephew were present, just waiting for him to begin the standalone ritual.

"Okay. Let's get this extraction ritual on the road, here. Now then, show me pussy little boy you were telling me."

"He's right behind you sir."

The grey haired exorcist turned around the boy hanging on the green glowing cross with chains bounding against it. Freed was impressed by the Alexandria's capture. However, freed came closer to Richie to take a look around. He around, until he sensed his sacred gear from his right arm.

Freed takes a big whiff. "Ahhh, the sweet smell of a sacred gear just waiting to be extracted." He said while licking his lips across with his tongue. "I can almost taste the power from within already. The usually prefer the devil ones but this mere human will have to do. Although..this one on the other hand feels off. It's as if he's not from here."

"He told me he's from California. In the US, sir." said Alexandria

"Oooooh! An American, I see! I don't dive deep into American, but I'm sure this one will be very special. _Very_ special indeed." He evilly grins.

 _ **BACK OUTSIDE**_

"Everybody ready?!" Issei shouted activating his boosted gear.

"All set!" Kiba hilted his sword. _"This is odd. On a mission like this, there should be a ton of priests inside there. I don't know if my senses are weakening or what, but..I'm not picking up anything. I don't know if that should be just pure luck. Something's up"_

"Let's get er' done." said Koneko with her fist clenched in front of her followed by an MMA stance.

"I'm ready, too!" Shouted Asia.

" _Good luck out there you guys."_ Rias thought to them..

"Okay Koneko. Do it."

"With pleasure." She said busting down the door wide open with a huge kick allowing access to the inside.

As the battle is close to beginning, Rias and Akeno have no choice but to stay put around the church until they can find a way to break down the barrier.

"Now, all we need to do is figure out how to break down this barrier. The first thing we have to is…"

"I sense another one nearby."

Out of the blue, the King and Queen of the house of gremory see a young male with pointy ears and dirty blonde hair. Also supporting black trench coat with gothic style black pants. Along with a black trilby.

"WELL, WELL, WELL! Lookie what we have here folks! Two pieces of devil scum that can't keep their noses out of the fallen angel's business near the house of GOOOOOOOOD!" the being screamed as he fell off of the branch of the tree landing face first on the dirt. "OW!"

Akeno can't help but to get a tickle and a giggle out of herself seeing the fallen angel boy falling down from the top of the tree.

"For a fallen angel standing guard, you sure are a tad on the clumsy side. And might I ask, who are you?" Rias asks.

"My name is Joshua. I was sent here by Alexavier specifically, to provide them the backup for their ritual. Just in case you try to crash the party by breaking the barrier. Can't help but overhearing you trying to take it down to help your little servants. Don't bother. That thing is soundproof and too difficult to see from the outside or even the inside. It's too bad to see, hear, or even scream your four devil friends to go inside the sanctuary, knowing full well it's blatantly suicidal."

"I wouldn't underestimate that. My servants are stronger than you may think." says Rias

"Oh yeah, then are you strong enough to block THIS!" Joshua exclaimed as he attempted fire a magic sphere that shot lightning across the face of Rias until Akeno rushed in front of her. Using red magic circle to block the lighting.

"Your magic is awfully familiar Joshua. I presume that you are the brother of Mittelt, are you not?"

"Gah! How did you know I'm related to my sister. Pheh, doesn't matter anyway. I was trained with the utmost of excellence with my sister, long before you annihilated her to just a bunch feathers. I can take you two devils down in a pinch! It's like you said it yourself, Lady Gremory. Don't underestimate it." Joshua mocks. "But first, you just have to guess which one is me!"

"Huh, what's he talking about?" Akeno says when Joshua touched his nose and decided to summon 5 more copies of himself. All standing in front of the higher rank devils of Gremory with spheres ready to fire."

"Oh my, I suddenly have this weird case of deja vu." Akeno tells Rias as she preps up her next attack with lightning coming from her hands.

"You don't say. Y'know kinda think of it, this does bring me back memories. However, I wouldn't mind going for a second round!" Rias responds as she summons two magic red circles from her hands."

"BRING IT ON!" shouted Joshua and all of his clones.

 _ **INSIDE THE CHURCH**_

All three of the fallen angels heard a loud bang coming from the entrance of the church. Each one turned their heads around to see the rest of the four members of the Gremory peerage standing just a few yards away from their arch enemies. The devils rushed in halfway until they were at a complete halt together. They gasped witness a mid teenage boy tied up by chain on a cross exactly the one from when Asia was captured.

"What the hell?!" Freed shouted as he floated back down to join back his niece and nephew.

"Uncle, what's going on?!" Alexavier questioned.

"Well, lookie here you two. It seems someone's here to crash the party a bit early tonight. Let's see, we got a stubborn swordsman, an MMA midget, a backstabbing little witch, and this motherfucker!"

"Shut up, Freed! The game is over!" Issei shouted to him. "Now give us back, Richie!"

"Now, why would I ever do that. The family was about to have the time of our lives a moment ago til you little shits barged in. Oh, goodness I got ahead of myself that I completely forgot to introduce to you my two new apprentices." Freed said.

"Apprentices?"

"Hello, Issei. I believe we met before." Alexandria waves to him.

"Alexandria." Issei muttered. "Then, who's he?!"

"Allow me to introduce myself. Names Alexavier, her twin brother. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Now tell me this devil, how did you manage to break down that barrier?" he extended his finger.

"We didn't. Luckily for us, we were already at the front of the church just as soon as you activated it." Kiba said holding his sword.

Freed turned toward Alexavier with anger fueling in his system.

"You were suppose to set up that barrier as soon as you captured the boy!" he shouted.

"Hey! Don't yell at me! It was Alexandria's job to set it up in the first place!"

"Oh, don't you give me that lame shit. You never told me in the first place!"

"Heads up." said Koneko with great strength throws a pew from out of nowhere toward the Sellzen family until, with great speed Alexavier pulls out his light sword and slicing the pew in half.

"Did I also mention that they're both my niece and nephew? Now then kids, watch carefully as I try to annihilate the Red Dragon Emperor and his little girlfriend too." He freakishly said as his eyes widen with insanity while, grabs both his exorcist gun and his light sword.

"Don't you lay a hand on Asia! Let's go! Boosted gear!"

 _ ***BOOST!***_

Asia manages to back away from Issei's fight with, standing still as she witnesses the action between him and Freed.

"I wanna get my hands on that girl who threw that pew at me." said Alexavier but was cut off by his sister.

"No! Let me fight her!" the sister shouted clashing both fists in front of her approaching Koneko more frozen in her fighting stance."Besides, this one looks interesting. She's perfect to build my fighting skills more."

"Fine. Then I'd love to spar with this devil swordsman. I can't wait to slice him up into bits like the piece of meat he...huh? Where'd he go?"

Alexavier searches all over the inside of the church to find where Kiba had hidden. Within seconds, Kiba with magnificent speed comes careening down toward him with his sword from the ceiling. Alexavier manages to block his attack with his own powerful light sword attack. With a backflip from Kiba, he was back on his feet, running toward the fallen angel. The two were clashing each other's sword back to back, until they meet face to face.

"I gotta hand it to ya devil, you're pretty quick. You fight so well. Not for long anyway." Alexavier said giving a dropkick to Kiba's chest. Kiba with grace, lands on his hand then lands straight up back to the ground before Alexavier charges once more for an attack. Luckily Kiba manages to block it as the go back to their conversation when both opponents' swords binded together.

"I should say the same to you. But, you haven't seen my serious side just yet. Allow me to demonstrate." Kiba replied as his blade turned black, emitting an aura from his sword. When both of the magic swords touched, it created a strange reaction.

"Wha-What kind of shit is this?!" Alexavier yelled in annoyance.

"My devil's blade. It's a blade of darkness that absorbs and devours on holy energy. I call it my "Holy Eraser." How bout' it?"

"Wait, you have a sacred gear too?! Don't be so modest! I'll still kick your ass one way or another, THE HARD WAY!" Alexavier screams as he quickly draws back his holy sword to switch out another weapon. In a fast motion, he pulls out his automatic holy glock and proceeds to shoot Kiba. Kiba with his quickness, dodges the bullets with every shot. Meanwhile, Koneko and Alexandria begin to duke it out with no guns nor swords.

"C'mon little girl. Show me what you got." Alexandria gestures with one finger to Koneko.

"Hmph." Koneko balls her fist a she then charges toward the fallen angel as both individuals immediately grab hold of each other's hands.

Alexandria skids backwards on her feet from the floor, showing what Koneko is actually capable as the rook with her strength. Both girls still holding on to each other until Alexandria beat's her test of strength by pushing her off with great force, tumbling across backwards for a bit. Koneko regains herself back up off the floor until Alexandria rushes in to throw a huge punch toward the face, but misses as Koneko dodges successfully by grabbing her arm she just punched the ground with, dragging her body in the air and onto the ground, leaving a gaping crack. Alexandria performs a kip up to get back up.

"I'll admit, you're pretty good. OOPPH!" Alexandria said before Koneko punched her in the gut.

Afterwards, Alexandria begins to smile as if she barely felt a thing. The fallen angel grabs Koneko by the hair from her right hand and performs a knee directly to the forehead. She then throws a series of successful punches. Five to the face back to back and one huge punch in the gut for payback. Alexandria jumps up in front of her to execute a makeshift scissors kick to the back of the neck, however Koneko immediately dodges and lands a powerful superkick to face. Alexandria was propelled by the force of that superkick all the way near the front of the church, bouncing on the ground.

"PROMOTION! ROOK!" Issei chants lunging himself towards the exorcist to punch him in the face like last time he and Freed fought before, however, Freed dodges his attack.

"Whoops, too slow!" Freed said remembering Issei's attack from their previous battle.

Issei goes for another punch to Freed, but the exorcist dodges it once more and proceeds to slash his light sword across the legs of the Red Dragon Warrior. Issei successfully jumps up in time to dodge his attack. Freed then begins to slash him across the head but, Issei saves himself by ducking, thereafter rushing forward head first, like a ram toward the exorcist's stomach until Issei goes for another blow by elbowing him in the back of the neck, down to the ground. As a result, the exorcist was down and with enough time to rush toward Richie to get him out of there.

" _Finally, got him out of my way. Now, there's still the matter of saving Richie."_ Issei said to himself.

The Red Dragon Warrior runs toward the cross where Richie is trapped. With the fighting still going on, Issei begins to shout at Richie in order to attempt to wake him up.

"Richie, I'm here! Can you hear me!?" Issei screams. "Richie, c'mon! Wake up! It's me Issei!"

Issei tries to wake him up, this time face to face. He grabs Richie by the shoulders, thereby shaking him a little to get him back to his conscious state.

"C'mon Richie, you have to wake up. It's me Issei. I know you're still alive somewhere. You just gotta get up!"

Still nothing, until...a green glow started to light up in his right arm, upon Issei's interaction by grabbing him from the shoulder. He notices the green glow, shining up close and personal, sensing the same activity from his red dragon boosted gear..

" _That must be his sacred gear_. _It must be trying to help m_ e."

Richie's hearing goes from dead silence to very heavy muffled noise. He could almost hear a male voice talking to him. His eyes begins to squint a little more upon hearing the voice. Both eyelids begin to open for a bit. As a result from before, his vision was blurry, however with help from both Issei and his sacred gear, his eyesight regain at a much faster rate than on his own. Richie started to come around, seeing Issei's smiling face in front of him.

"Wha...what the...Is...Isse...Issei?" Richie begins to speak.

"Richie! Oh man, you had us worried there. I'm so glad you're alright, pal." he smiled.

"Issei, oh thank god! You're here to save me. You've gotta get me outta these chains before it's too late!"

"Don't worry, I'm already taking care of it."

He notices the chains are held together by both his feet and arms. He descends back down to break the chains.

"If I use my boosted gear to double my power, I should break these chains in a breeze. I better start from the bottom, then finish from the top. Here goes. BOOSTED GEAR!"

 ***BOOST***

Issei grabs the chains very tightly to get a good grip. He tries with all his might to break the chains, but no luck. He doubles his power the second time."

"AGAIN!" He shouted.

 ***BOOST***

Still nothing.

 ***BOOST***

"I know we can do this. I just need more power! ANOTHER BOOST!"

 ***BOOST***

Parts of the chains begin the crack from the Issei's boosted power. The entire chain link was almost about to give way.

"I...almost...got it...just need a little more…!" Issei gritted his teeth trying with the best

"Issei, behind you!" yelled Asia.

"Asia? GAH!" Issei shouted as he was pulled by the hair from Freed to prevent Richie to be free. Afterwards, Freed with great force punches Issei in the face. Clocking him right in his jaw as Issei flies a few yards away from him.

"So, you thought ol' Freed was down for the count, eh? Think again, pussy!" Freed shouted.

"You bastard! Leave him be already!" Richie cried. Freed heard the cries of an already conscious sacred gear warrior. He turns around with his red eyes widen of insanity along with a smile of instability staring right into the trapped sacred gear possessor.

"Oh, I'll leave him alone alright. Just as soon as give him the old "pop pop"." Freed freakishly said pulling out a gun from his jacket. He aimed the holy pistol with a couple rounds of light bullets at Issei without any warning, shooting Issei once in his left leg and one on his right shoulder.

 ***POW!* *POW!***

Both Asia and Richie's eyes widen in complete shock and awe after what they just witnessed in front. Kiba and Koneko gasped after hearing the gunshots, interrupting their fight. The blood curdling scream could be heard from both of them as well. Koneko saw Issei on the ground bleeding from head to toe, immediately after Alexandria regains herself to see Koneko wide open and distracted. Alexandria runs toward Koneko to unleash a devastating clothesline, flipping herself inside out before landing flat front on the ground.

"ISSEI!" Kiba shouted as he tries to run forth toward Issei until he is stopped by Alexavier with his neck wrapped tight around the fallen angel's arms. He also pulled out a light dagger from his pocket, immediately pointing at the neck of the devil. Kiba was still holding his sword. As soon as he was about the get ready for his next attack, Alexavier spoke.

"Drop your weapon or I will kill the boy!" Alexavier demanded with a gun pointing at Richie and a dagger at Kiba's neck. Kiba did what he was told and right away he dropped his sword.

"Hold on, Issei! I'm coming to…" Asia paused mid sentence until she was caught off guard from a gun click by Freed. His gun pointing directly at her.

"Take one more step Asia and I'll blow your fucking brains out!" Freed vulgarly exclaimed.

"Asia…" Richie whispered in a worried reaction. He saw Freed pointing the gun at Asia, about ready to shoot her across. With this, Richie attempted to break the chains himself. He tries hard and hard to budge out of the chains binding him against that cross, but no luck. He was simply too weak to release himself from the bondage.

"Please, I beg of you. Don't kill me!" Asia said with her hands up.

"Shut Up! I've had enough of this bullshit!" Freed shouted. "You devils are always in my way! But now the game's over! Just look around you Asia. Your little boyfriend is already bleeding toward his doom as we speak. That pipsqueak is out cold and your knight is being held hostage with nowhere to go...just...like...you. Like the trapped backstabbing, little rat you are!".

Richie overheard what Freed said to Asia. His head was back down, not from unconsciousness, but from anger. As his anger grew, his sacred gear started to glow and flash at fast rate.

Freed unleashed his sword with one free hand while his gun is in the other. Asia stood still in fear knowing that one false move from herself could lead to instant death. She was completely frozen without any ideas or ways to escape from this. Kiba was struggling from Alexavier's clutches, but the more he struggled, the more he was unable to save anyone.

"Freed, you bastard! You don't have to do this! Just let her go!" Kiba demanded.

Issei was laying in a small pool of blood after taking holy bullets from two different parts of his body. The burning sensation from the shots made him immobile, downing his strength even more to make it unable to save Asia. He lied there staring of what could be the most unforgiving scene he could witness. Having one of his friends get killed by his enemy.

" _Asia...I'm sorry...I made a promise...and I failed. I failed you and I let the rest of my friends down. I'm sorry Rias...for everything."_

"I'm quite surprised to see YOU of all people would be the only one left standing in this fight. Funny, you didn't even have to do a damn THING!" Freed exclaimed as he slashed downwards at Asia's school uniform in half. So much so, it revealed Asia's breasts in front of both him and Alexavier. Asia immediately released out a scream. She let her hands down to cover herself up while being down on her knees.

Richie had seen the unspeakable act. The actions caused by the perverted priest made him more irate than before. His sacred gear glowed brighter, pulsating even faster until his eyes turned from his normal brown to an overlaid yet, bright cyan color. The anger from within him clouded his feelings. His teeth gritted in anger. Fangs began to form where both his canine teeth resided.

"Look at yourself! Dirty and as repulsive as you are! The humiliation! The torture! OH, WHAT FUN!" thee exorcist exclaimed. "I've taken everything that I can get my hands on. The amulet, the sword, and now...YOUR LIFE! Prepare to die!" Freed shouted raising his sword upward in a venture to aim at Asia's head, killing her execution style.

"NOOOOOO!" Asia screamed in mercy.

Finally, his right arm began to illuminate, turning it into an indigo mass gauntlet. When his arm turned, the large size of the gauntlet began to grow gold spikes on the side, breaking free of the chains. His freedom gained an even more leverage of escape. The power of the sacred gear gave him a bit more strength to shatter the chains from his feet to his other arm, before running straight forward with an intense speed towards both Freed and Asia. Kiba was in tears fearing what will happen.

"UNCLE!" the twins shouted in unison. The crazy exorcist did not hear them. Freed moved along forward with his plan. He began to slash his sword down, aiming at the bishop of Gremory's head.

Asia closed her eyes real tight in sheer terror, knowing in vain she would be killed. At least, that's what she thought...until she heard a large yet loud metal clang sound. She did not feel the light sword hit her but, in fact hear the sword hit something else. She quickly opens her eyes and gasps to reveal a boy blocking Freed's attack with a circular, luminescent, indigo shield marked with a black insignia of the welsh dragon connected by magic from the cyan jewel. That boy who saved her was Richie.

"Are you OK?" Richie tells her from behind. Asia was still shocked and amazed by how fast Richie saved her. It happened so suddenly that it made it difficult to make words come out of her mouth. "I'll take that as an emphatic, YES!" he says pushing his shield hard enough to make Freed back away from both him and Asia.

"YOU! That shield. That symbol. _That power._ The Indigo Shield of the Welsh Dragon was inside _you_ the whole time?! Why didn't you two fools tell me he has the stinkin' shield?!" Freed yelled.

"Well, how the hell we were supposed to know that kid had the shield in the first place?!" Alexandria shouted back at his Uncle.

"He wouldn't have it in the first place if you two just went back there! But it's ok, now that I know you have the third missing artifact I've been searching for, I'll just kill you first for the taking. Then, I'll get the job done by killing that annoying little brat you just saved!" Freed began to raise his light sword over his head and proceeded to strike downward to kill, however, with his feat of strength by the power his sacred gear and his utmost momentum, he deflected the insane exorcist's attack by thrusting upwards to not only dodge the strike, but ridding the light sword from Freed out of his hand.

Freed stumbled to the ground as the light sword flip upwards in the air until finally landing blade first to the inside of the floor, just few inches away from his junk, almost neutering him. The shield disappears from Richie's sacred gear as he walks toward the man that tried to hurt Asia.

The exorcist stared into dismay at the cyan colored eyes of the already furious indigo dragon warrior. Freed sat still frozen, as if he seen a ghost. Richie with his gauntlet picks up Freed by the shirt, looking deep within his eyes in an infuriated fashion.

"LEAVE...HER...ALONE!" Richie roared screamed at him using whatever energy he has to throw him across the altar, crashing onto the cross where he was captured until he landed in the rubble where the cross once stood.

"Uncle!" howled Alexandria before being hit by a pew from behind. The source of the individual who the pew was Koneko. She approach to the fallen angel who was laid out on the floor next to a fallen Freed Sellzen with scratches and bruises on her face from the impact she took.

"Who...the hell are you?" Alexandria questioned.

"Name's Koneko. Suck it."

Alexavier's wrist grip loosened as soon as he saw Freed being thrown out, allowing Kiba to attack him from the back. Kiba kicked Alexavier in his balls with the back of his foot. He was soon free while Alexavier bend down in pain. The knight in quick action grabbed both the light dagger and his gun followed by a huge kick to the face. He lands his right knee on his crotch, aiming the gun to his chest with his left hand while pointing the dagger in on his neck at the same time.

"Guns aren't really my forte, but I don't mind using it on people like you. If I were you, I'd think you better scurry on over to your uncle and sister, _if_ you still can."

"You bastard. Give me back my weapons!" Alexavier told him.

"Oh, if you want your weapons that bad…" Kiba smiled before quickly throwing both of his weapons at one of the stained glass windows behind him, landing outside from the church. "Go get them." he said releasing now an unarmed fallen angel.

"I'll kill you!" Alexavier screamed as he ran toward kiba to throw a fist punch in the face before coming face to face with his devil sword blade.

"I'd like to see you try." Kiba dared him. Alexavier scoffed off and ran to tend to his with his sister and Uncle who was unconscious from the crash.

Richie pants with heavy breaths after the throwdown he gave to Freed. It took all the energy it had left in him until his sacred gear gauntlet disappeared back into his original right arm. His sharp canine teeth had retracted back to normal. Right away, he collapsed to his knees on the floor with his hand on his forehead.

"Richie!" yelled Asia as she approached him in front. "Richie, are you OK?"

"Y'know, I should be the one asking _you_ the same." Richie responded rubbing his forehead with his eyes still shut trying to recuperate himself. Asia smiled, quickly wrapping around his neck in front of him to give Richie a hug.

"Thank you." Asia expressed her gratitude.

"Yeah, for sure. It's no problem." He blushed and chuckled scratching his cheek with his finger. Asia released him before he started to glance at Asia's exposed breast in full view and looked away.

"Is everything OK?" She questions.

"Yeah, e-e-everything's cool, i-i-it's just that. Y-Your breast's...they're out." He stammered before taking off his jacket and eventually his solid blue shirt. He gives his shirt to Asia. "Here, take my shirt. It's the least I could do after what Freed did to you earlier. Sorry about your outfit."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be fine. Thank you." She happily said to him, taking off her ripped uniform torso and in it's place was his blue shirt. Richie turned away from Asia so that he doesn't want to come off as a pervert to her and managed to put on his black jacket. Leaving him shirtless with just _his_ chest exposed. Richie felt a tad weak from the aftermath of his powers. He helped himself up off the ground to try to stand back on his own two feet again.

"Can you stand?" she asked.

Outstandingly, he managed to stand well on both his two feet. He can feel the strength from his legs and his body coming back to him. "Yeah, thanks". He answered, letting go of Asia until he came to instant realization. Issei was shot twice and no one is there to help him. "Issei! Oh my God! Asia, hurry we gotta help him!"

The two, alongside Kiba, immediately ran as fast as they could toward the red dragon emperor. When they arrived they were pleased to see Koneko was beside him the whole time. They were even more pleased and full of relief that Issei was breathing on his own, but could not speak or wake up due to the blood loss. Asia took a good look on Issei's condition. Whether he was OK from the bullets he had to endure.

"Asia, are you gonna use your healing powers to help him? Like you did before with me?"

"Yeah. Thank goodness there doesn't seem to be anything life threatening from his wounds. It'll be awhile before he regains consciousness. Just give me a sec to fix him up." she told him hovering his hands to activate her twilight healing first over Issei's shoulder.

"Whew, that's a relief to hear." Richie said with reassurance. While Asia was busy taking care of Issei, Richie took a little bit of time to think about how he released his sacred gear. He looked at his right arm to start fathoming on how it happened.

"So tell us, how'd you do it?" Koneko said getting Richie's attention.

"Huh, did what?"

"The way you saved Asia with that power of yours. Your quick reaction to block Freed's attack was incredible. Really, how did you do it?" Kiba happily questions putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Actually, I don't know. I guess when that guy started saying a bunch of crazy shit about Asia, I somehow got so angry that my emotions got the better of me and *boom* that's how it all happened." Richie answered to him when he thought about what Aeris said before being sent to this world.

" _The Indigo Sacred Gear. With it, you can utilize this tool against your enemies on your behalf. When the time comes, unleash your sacred gear at your best potential."_

" _I guess time really did came. But, it's still gotta mean something."_ He thought to himself when he heard moaning. The moaning came from Issei who was beginning to wake up after being shot.

"Look, he's coming around." Kiba said.

"Issei...Issei, can you hear me?" Asia asked.

Issei opens his eyes to see from left to right his friends sitting beside him to comfort him.

"Woah, what happened? Koneko, Asia, Kiba...Richie? Richie!" Issei's eyes widen. "You're OK, but how did you manage to break free? AAGHHH!" He winced in pain from his leg wound.

"Hold on, Issei. I'm not through treating you yet. Let me finish on your leg." she told him.

"Thanks, Asia. Uhhhh...Asia. I'm sorry, I couldn't save you back there. Please, can you ever forgive me."

"It's OK Issei. Don't beat yourself so down over it. After all, Richie saved me."

"He did? Wait. Hold on, I'm so confused. If he saved you, then how did he escape back there?"

"He used his sacred gear. I saw it all happen. Issei. His speed to save Asia from Freed was like that and that shield. It was nothing I've ever seen before." Kiba interjected. "One moment he was captured, the next thing you know, he ran in front of Asia to block Freed's attack."

"Woah, kick ass! So, what's his sacred gear like anyway?"

"Well, it's pretty much a big shield. Once it came out, its power was very immense, for a short while anyway." Richie told him.

"Can I see it?" Issei asked.

"I don't know about that. As soon as the shield disappeared, a big indigo colored thing on my right arm was gone. Soon after, I felt so weak. I don't even know if I can unlock do it again."

When Richie finished what he had to say, Asia was done with Issei repairing the damage by Freed and his leg.

"There. All done. You can stand up now, Issei." She told him.

Both wounds had been subsided. There were no other signs of marks or scars being left behind on his skin. The healing process was a success with his wounds sealed up. Issei finally stood up from the floor and so did the rest of the group. The red dragon emperor jogged in place, along with rotating his arm to make sure he was 100% A-OK.

"Thanks so much Asia. That twilight healing of yours really does the trick." Issei praised her.

With Richie escaping from the clutches of the fallen angels and Issei back on his feet, things were looking up for the Gremory group. They're mission seemed to be well accomplished, that is until the peerage heard a loud groaning noise. The groaning they heard came from Freed from beyond the alter. His niece and nephew managed to get him back up on his feet from the rubble, when his body made a big impact on the cross from Richie's throw. The devil's and the lone human stayed on their guard, ready to see what would hit them next.

"URGGGH! RGGGHAAA! Don't think you've won yet! I'm still not done with you!" Freed exclaimed pointing at Richie. "I still have one more move up my sleeve. Children, I have no choice, but to bring in plan B."

"Wait, plan B? What plan B!? Alexandria wondered.

Are you sure about this Uncle." Alexavier questioned him.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I'm not gonna waste any of my time with this crap. Just...do as I say and get the cases."

"But…"

"NOW!"

"Alright, yes sir!" surprised Alexavier from his yell. Immediately he ran over the left side of the church to walk inside the door. Upon entering, he sees one long briefcase and a black jewelry box from beside the door.

"What the hell's going on this time?" Issei spoke up.

"I don't know. What ever they got it could be dangerous. They can pull something at any given moment. I suggest staying on your guard, guys. Who knows what will happen next?" Kiba responded back.

"You know what, I gotta hand it to ya. For a kid that was once weakling little bug like yourself, I like the way you fight. That strength, you speed. It pleases me." Freed tells Richie with his red pupils widen.

"Where are you getting at?! Tell me right now!" Richie exclaims back to him.

"Oooooh, rushing so much are we eh? Alright, since you put it that way. I'm might as well just go on and spit it already. Richie, I want you to join us."

All members of the Gremory peerage gasped in a sudden surprise. The words that blabbed out of Freed's mouth left them flabbergasted. The fallen angels are their mortal enemies, but having Richie joining the opposing side would not make the slightest sense to them or to him.

"What! Why? Why the hell would you think that I would ever side with you after what _you've_ done to me?!" Richie angrily questions.

He notices Alexandria coming back from the room with two cases in her hand. She hands the long briefcase to Alexavier while still holding the small black jewelry box.

"I think _these_ might rethink your answer." Freed says with an evil grin.

Just at the moment Freed finished his sentence, he snapped his fingers on command. Both his niece and nephew simultaneously opened both cases. The long case in the hand's of Alexavier contained a shiny, double edged sword. The sword has indigo guard at the bottom. The sword was surrounded by red velvet from inside the case. Lastly to the right, Alexandria opens the small black box. Inside the small box revealed a stone necklace. The necklace was an amulet with a dark emerald embezzled in the center. Inscriptions were detailed in the outer rim of the artifact. Both items glistened from inside their cases. Richie was in full awestruck when he notices the two treasure's sitting right in front before his very own eyes.

"What are those things?" Asia asks.

"Yeah, Richie. What's going on?" Issei jumps in also.

"Aeris' treasures." Richie mentioned staring blankly at the artifacts. "That's her sword and the most powerful item, the Welsh Dragon Amulet."

" _The what? Did he just say Welsh Dragon?"_ Issei thought to himself.

"So you see my dear Richie, these lovely treasures will be absolutely yours under one term. You decide to join us side by side. Now, don't you dare lie to me that this isn't what you're looking for. After that huge rush of power that you showed off to me earlier, c'mon, don't you want more. You know your body craves it." Freed added.

"Don't listen to him Richie! Joining him won't solve anything!" Issei bellowed.

"Please! Listen to Issei! You don't have to do this!" Asia roared.

"You two stay out of this! This is only between me and him!" Freed bellowed.

"Richie, listen to us! We're the good guys here. We tried saving your life after what they almost did to you, remember!?" Kiba shouted.

"Good guys!? GOOD GUYS!?" Freed shouts followed by a hysterically psychotic laugh. "That's really funny! How can you call yourselves the good guys, when in actuality you're all just a bunch of pathetic, piece of shit, DEVILS! Yeah, that's right! I said it! Your so called "friends" that saved your weak ass in the first place are actually devils.

Richie's pupils widen into oblivion that the thought occurred to them his friends he's known since coming to this world are actually real life devils. He instantly turned around facing the people that saved him earlier to wonder what's going on.

"Issei...Asia….is it true? Is what he saying about you all, really true? The rest of you are...devils?" He gulped.

Each member of the gremory family turned heads at each other to know whether they should come out and tell the truth or fib to cover it up. They all nodded at each other to confirm whether he should know. So they did.

"Yes. It's true, Richie." Issei said with dissatisfaction. His head was down as the rest of them including Issei, spread out their devil wings individually to show the truth.

Richie was shocked to see Issei, Asia, and the rest of their friends with the same style pair of devil wings they've grew out of their backs. This was a clear given indication that they are in fact devils.

"I...this can't be happening. I don't even know...what to think...right now. That you of all people." Richie said with his mouth covered.

"I know it's a shame to see the truth revealed right in front of your eyes isn't it? It's such a bummer that it had to be like this." Freed said. Upon immediate response, his head was down looking at the floor. However, Issei came closer to him to talk to him.

"Look Richie, I know the truth is hard. Yeah, I may be a devil, but that still doesn't change who I am now."

"A pervert." Koneko interjected.

"Besides that! Just look at Asia, she may be a devil like us, but she's still the kindest person that you, plus all of us here have known and she still is. Don't listen to what that assclown Freed says, even if he has something you don't. We may be devils, but if saving you from their torture doesn't make us the good guys, then I don't know what is."

Richie heard everything Issei told him word for word. His lifted his head up to give himself a big sigh and smiled. He smiled at all of the devils he sees right in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Issei. I have to do what's right. For myself and Aeris." Richie tells him as he turns around to walk towards the fallen angels.

"What's he doing?" Asia asked.

"He's crossing sides with Freed! " Issei answered.

"Richie, no please! Listen to us. It's not worth it!" Kiba shouted.

Richie approached the altar at his own pace walked towards Freed and the twins. He took a good look at observing both the sword and the amulet. Both the shimmer and shine of both artifacts caught his attention. It would be the first time he has ever personally gotten close to them. He immediately looks toward Freed face to face with stern grin on his face.

"So, do we have a deal?" Freed extends his left hand.

"Then I suppose….Yeah, we've got a deal." Richie confirms.

"Brilliant! Now if you just shake my hand...UUGGMPPFFF!" He says before being kicked in the balls by the indigo dragon warrior. Freed held onto his testicles for deal life before coming down to his knees in combination of rolling his eyes backwards from the excruciating pain.

"Uncle!" the twins shouted in unison.

Issei was immediately surprised and yet amazingly both happy and relieved that Richie refused to side with Freed. Richie stood back in caution after the immediate kick to the exorcist's nuts.

"Did you actually think that I was gonna join you!? I don't think so! After the hell you put me through, you can take that shit and shove it. I'd rather side with the devils than to trust you! You know, my mother always told me when I was little, to never trust a devil." He said turning towards Issei and co. with a stern anger look. "But she never said anything about trusting a devil who tries to save someone from torment." he smiling at them. When he showed his emotions toward Issei and the others they also smiled back.

"I'm letting you know right now, when I find out where you hid that sword and my empress' amulet, I will find you and your plan _will_ backfire! That is a definite promise! Oh, by the way, those so called "treasures" you tried to bribe me with, are just heavy metal fakes. But I'll give you credit for the presentation. Class act." He says his last words to freed before turning around to walk towards the devils.

"Utter fool. If I can't have you, then I'll make sure no one on this damned planet can!" Freed mummered in his teeth. "SO, ROT IN HELL YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

As he turned before walking off, Freed reaches into his coat pocket with his right hand. With it he grabs his gun with one holy bullet left in the chamber. He pulls out his gun and without caution or thought, pulling the trigger. The bullet rocketed out of the barrel, traveling across toward the back, hitting his jacket, through his chest cavity. Sadly, the bullet aimed was a direct hit at his right major carotid artery. All present in the church heard the gun go off. The devils stood frozen with a backlog of emotions dropping down on impact, like a cartoon anvil. The level of horror they watched was unbearable. Richie could feel the bullet traveling out his chest followed by the devastating amount of pain. Blood immediately spewed out of his chest. He winced as he holds his hand on his chest wound to stop the bleeding before collapsing flat on his front.

"No." Issei gasped.

"Oh, god no." Asia whispered covering her mouth at the horror.

"Holy shit!" the twins said astonishingly in unison.

"That's right! What your silly little mission all came down to was nothing but a cruel, sweet, DEATH!" Freed said with insanity.

"Richie!" Asia and Issei screamed, dashing toward him. The other's followed both to urgently aid the wounded indigo warrior. "Hang in there, Richie. I've got you." she whimpered.

"A-A-A-si-a. Is-sei. Richie struggling to speak in pain.

"Don't speak, understand? Don't make yourself worse, OK? I'll try to use my twilight healing on you!" Asia said unto him cupping her hands above the gunshot wound to activate her sacred gear.

"No. No. No. No. Dammit Richie, I refuse to let you die! C'mon you can still fight this, now don't you dare give up on me! Do you hear me?!" Issei encouraged him.

Her twilight healing emitted a green glow from her rings. She concentrated hard on fixing up Richie's wound. About a minute or two, no matter how long she focused, the bleeding kept going at a profusive rate. Blood began to spurt, which startled Asia having her to pause her twilight healing for a short bit.

"I don't understand." Issei fretted. "Your twilight healing should've easily cured him by now. So, why is he still bleeding then?!" He started to tear.

"Simple!" Freed screamed in the distance. "I used a specially made holy bullet I created. It's only one prototype but it's stored with the finest amount of pure holy energy inside. With the amount of energy at it's powerful max, not even weak devil like yourselves can save him. As soon as that bullet hits any part of his major blood stream, it's a critical hit. In short, I pretty much accelerated his death as we speak." He evilly grins with his tongue sticking out.

"You bastard! I'll never forgive you for what you did!" Issei yelled with a great deal of anger as tears flowed down on his face.

"I-I-Issei." Richie stammered in attempt to hold Issei's left hand hand with his right. Soon after, Issei grabs his right with his left followed by placing his right over both hands.

"Richie! I'm so sorry. If I would've saved you sooner, none of this would've happened." He sobbed.

"D-Don't be. This is my fault anyway. I got careless of myself get into so much danger. I failed myself, I failed my quest, but most of all I failed Aries. But you know what, I actually succeeded something in this world for once."

"What is it?"

"I found you. You are the possessor of the Red Dragon Emperor. All this time her big brother was hiding right under my nose. Here inside a church of all places." He quietly said shedding his tears from both his eyes. "If only I had more time. If only there was a way for me to...wish this all away, like magic. I just wish there was a way to reverse all this. Even if you are a devil, you were fun guy to hang around with."

"Don't talk like that." Issei whimpered and sniffled wiping his tears. "You are my number one priority! From the moment we became friends, I knew there was a connection between us _and_ our sacred gears. I can show so many things in this world. Like our school, you'll see what it's like compared to yours back home. I'll even let you meet my friends Motohama and Matsuda. Sure, they can be weird at times but, they're still cool friends and you three will get along so fine. Most of all, you'll have a chance to know my greatest friends. Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, and even our class president Rias. I'm sure she'd be stoked to know about your power.

"M-Me too. And Asia."

"Huh?"

"I don't know how much longer your twilight healing can last. I just want you to know that out of all the times I spent here in this world...you were first person I've ever met." He said softly having his left hand rest on top hers.

"I was?" she reacted while blushing.

"Yeah. For a devil, you sure were a gentle girl to be around. Although for a short time, it was fun to talk and listen to you. I'm truly blessed to have a friend like you and Issei. I'm sure enough I won't ever forget that day. I'm so thankful that I've met you guys." he said as his voice was getting softer and quieter further in his sentences. He was taking smaller breaths due to the substantial blood loss. His life was about to fade.

"No Richie no, you can't go! There's so much I wanna know from you! Asia, you have to keep going!"

"I'm trying as hard as I can, Issei, but his condition just keeps getting worse by the minute. I don't know how long I can keep going on a critical injury like this." She said before she succumbed to exhaustion by her extensive use of twilight healing.

Asia almost began to cry. Trying to hold back on her harder she used her twilight healing, the more focused she was on preventing him to die. Unfortunately, the bleeding from his chest still persisted. His blood was continued to pour out until there was nothing left.

"Issei...one more thing before I go. Take good care of Aeris. I'm sure she would love have her big brother beside her at last."

"No, don't say that! I'm not gonna lose you! Richie! Richie?" He sniffled.

"Thank you...goodbye Issei." Richie said his final words before succumbing to the fatal gunshot wound. He took one last breath on his own before his body gave way. Issei felt his arm being limp and lifeless. Richie was confirmed dead. Issei released his right arm from both his hands. The entire church was in complete silence, before Issei broke down bawling in tears.

"COME BAAAAAAAACK!" he bellowed in sadness. His tears cascaded down like a waterfall. His emotion of sadness overshadowed his feelings. Issei was not the only one with dire sorrow. Asia began to sob beside Richie's perished side. Kiba and Koneko also shed a tear of desolation. She did everything a human being could ever do. Thanks to Freed's cold blooded kill, the damage was too severe. Richie's young life and promise he wanted to fulfill for the Indigo Dragon Empress was cut short abruptly. Issei turned his head, facing the man that killed him in a callous act. His eyes began to turn green combined with his mixed emotions of fury, anger, and rage.

"YOU!" Issei pointed to Freed.

 ***BOOST***

"You killed him."

 ***BOOST***

YOU KILLED HIM!" he continued to boost his gear.

 ***BOOST***

He continued to boost however, there was something remotely different about him that changed with every boost. His voice was deeper yet more demonic. His boosted gear was bigger with more scales and bigger spikes jutting from its sides. The jewel glowing from within started to pulsate. More noticeably, left side of his face was red with dragon scales. One fang also began to protrude out of his left canine teeth. The angrier he'd became, the more he would transform into a half human, half demonic dragon creature. Eventually, he could not take it anymore.

"YAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!" He screamed very loud with his head high as if he was evolving into a new form no one has even seen. Asia, Koneko and Kiba seen his transformation with total amazement.

"What is _that_?!" Kiba asked.

"Issei?" Asia mummered.

 _ ***NEW BOOSTED ABILITY! FRENZY MODE ACTIVATED!***_

Issei stared directly back towards both Freed and his niece and nephew. With intense speed, he ran up towards the family with his fist balled up. His anger and draconic rage was taking control half of his body. The moment he leaped from the floor, he sees his targets. He shoots down like ballistic missile toward them. However, the moment he could attack, all three managed to move out of the way to the right side of the church. The impact was so forceful that it left a small crater where the family was once stood.

"What do we do!? He's extremely pissed now!" Alexavier exclaimed.

"We get the hell out of here. That's what." Freed answered.

"And leave both the amulet and the sword behind! After all the work we've done?!" Alexandria shouted.

"Do as I say, dammit!"

"Yes, sir!" they said in unison. The twins obeyed their uncle's command to each pull out one flashbang ball from their pocket. Issei spotted the three yet again. He stared down at the three like prey. He runs forth for another attack. In the nick of time, the two slammed the balls down on the ground. The blinding light from the impact of the flashgangs was powerful enough for Issei and the rest to make it difficult to see where they would be going next. The light made Issei fly backwards until landing on his back. When the blinding light soon dissipated, they were gone.

"WHERE DID THEY GO!?" growled Issei. "C'MON FREED! SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD! I'LL TEAR EVERYTHING APART IN THIS DAMN CHURCH!"

Issei could not get over the fact, his friend that he knew had the same connection to his sacred gear. This frenzy mode ability he newly acquired kept taking control. He could not figure out a way to stop it, so his body kept venting out all this rage. He was so furious that he ended up smashing statues, vases, pews, anything he might see worth perishable with his boosted gear gauntlet.

Asia was still in complete sorrow over the course of what had happened. She tried her best at saving Richie, but the damage was too much and seeing her first friend in a distraught, violent, outrage made her completely distressed. From the corner of her eye, she spotted something red. She noticed a red glow coming from Richie's jacket. Inside his jacket pocket, was the flyer he had received when he first arrived into the new world. The flyer began to glisten inside, erupting itself out from his jacket. The red glowing flyer began to travel upwards, then towards behind a distraught Issei before forming itself into a summoning circle.

"Issei, you have to calm down!" Kiba cried.

Kiba didn't want to fight against Issei or use his sword to use force, until he'd seen something radiantly familiar from behind him.

" _A magic circle?"_ He said to himself.

"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN I CALM DOWN KNOWING THAT MY FRIEND IS GONE!" Issei growled slamming his hand onto a pew with incredible strength, breaking it in half. "I LOST SOMEONE THAT WAS A PART OF _ME_! NOW, HE'S GONE AND NEVER COMING BACK! IF ONLY I KNEW SOONER! IF ONLY I TOLD HIM ABOUT ALEXANDRIA! IF ONLY I… HUH?" He later gasped.

Suddenly, Issei felt something behind his body touching him. Two arms were wrapped around his bottom torso. He could feel the skin from the individual that embraced him. The scent was wonderfully recognizable. He turned around to see a girl with long fiery red hair. He immediately know who that girl was.

"R-Rias?" Issei said.

"Shh-shh-shhhh. It's OK, Issei. I'm here. I'm right here." Rias spoke softly urging him settle down with a gentle embrace. Issei felt his master's hug. Soon after, his skin on his left face began to go subside back to its original skin. His boosted gear began to downgrade back to its normal self and then disappearing to his arm, before collapsing on both his knees. He brought himself back to normal without the need of Rias' magic, before shedding a river of tears from the emotions swirling around in his mind.

"I'm sorry, prez. I'm so sorry." Issei cried.

"Hush now. It's all over now, Issei."

"Rias!" shouted the rest of the three.

"Fancy meeting you four here." she happily says.

"Rias. W-Where'd you come from? Where's Akeno?" Kiba began to inquire.

"Back at the forest. Let's just say that she's cleaning up trouble."

Outside of the church, Akeno was sweeping up loose fallen angel feathers from the ground with her broom, while wearing her priestess uniform. Her and Rias' match with Joshua was exhilarating to them, but his shadow clone attack was outmatched by the powers of the duo. After their match, the two managed to figure out how to disable the holy barrier/

"Aww, it's such a shame that he go on a loss like this." Akeno said. "Leaving such huge mess behind that I have to clean up. Clumsy ones, always get the lower head. Aw well, you can't win em' all, can ya?"

Back inside, Issei and the others are still puzzled about how Rias managed to get inside the church.

"Summoned?" Issei added wiping his tears. "But how? We didn't call for you or did any weird magic either."

"No, but I think I know someone else who did." She says as she casually walked down towards Richie's dead body. "Oh, you poor thing." She said feeling his cheek until she sensed something from his right arm. She picked up his cold hands to notice that his sacred gear was still inside him. "So, Issei was telling truth after all." She looks around him to find the source of where Richie had summoned her. Inside his jacket pocket, she discovered a familiar leaflet with the seal of Gremory.

"Um, Rias. What are you doing?" Asia asked.

"You'll see, Asia. Issei, do you know what this is?" She shows him a piece of paper with the seal.

"Hey yeah. Isn't that one of those leaflets we used to deliver for contracts?"

"Exactly. He kept it to himself all this time along."

"So what you're saying is, Richie was the one that summoned you here? Kiba asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Summoning me wasn't the only thing he did. If I'm correct, he also made a wish."

"A wish? Hold on…" Issei gasped.

[Flashback]

" _If only I had more time. If only there was a way for me to...wish this all away, like magic. I just wish there was a way to reverse all this." Richie spoke softly_

[End Flashback]

" _I get it now. Richie must've summoned Rias, so he can fulfill his wish to not die. Just like me when I got killed."_

"Issei, can you come here please?" she requested.

"Uhh, yeah sure." He responded walking towards his master in front of Richie's body. Issei still couldn't bear to look at the damage Freed had done to him. He almost shed a tear from his eye but held it back. "What's up?" he spoke.

"I want to apologize about earlier. I should've given you the benefit of the doubt the instant you told me about it."

"No don't. Neither of us would knew the outcome of what would happen. It's just a shame that he had to go like this. I should be the one to apologize. I let you down and now look, Richie's dead. I think it would be fair for me take whatever punishment you give me."

"Well, you haven't let me down just yet."

"What? I don't understand. What you said earlier..."

"I know what I said, but _that_ was different. This time your friend made a wish that he doesn't want to die. And that's exactly what I plan to fulfill. Do you recognize what I hold in my hand, Issei?" She responds pulling a white small object out of her pocket. She held a white chess piece resembling a horse head.

"Yeah, it's just a normal old chess piece? Wait! That's a...a...you're gonna..." he says

"Actually to be more specific, it's a evil knight piece." Akeno says appearing from her teleportation circle.

"Akeno." Issei responded by her sudden appearance.

"So, you're saying that…" Asia spoke.

"You're gonna resurrect him back to life!? That's great!" Issei finished for her.

"Rias. I'm sure enough that making him the newest knight is an excellent choice." Kiba says placing his shoulder on Rias.

"Really? How so Kiba?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but being a knight means that a devil's speed and mobility can increase significantly. Having the utmost capability of performing high-speed maneuvers, right."

"You're correct."

"Well, personally I think Richie fits well as a knight. President, the kid has great speed within him. He managed to break himself out Freed's grasp to save Asia. If it wasn't for Richie's ability and his shield, she wouldn't be with us now."

"Is this true, Asia?"

Asia responded to Rias' question with a simple yes nod. "Yes, he saved my life. And I don't know where I would be right now if Freed had attacked. Having him with us, I truly believe, would make a big difference for all of us." she smiled.

"Then it's settled. I think it's time to grant his wish. Having him as our second knight would make an excellent addition. We could use another guy on our side." Rias happily added.

Rias placed the chess piece on top of his chest where his heart was located. With the use of her magic, she positioned a magic circle under his body. Both actions were needed her to perform her incantation. She spread her arms out apart, to say the following chant...

"In the name of Rias Gremory, I call upon to thee, Richie Louisè! To return thy soul from the shadows of darkness to this Earth once more! To become my new servant! As your new master, I hereby grant you new life! Arise and rejoice as my defender and as knight!"

The knight piece began to sank down inside Richie's body, followed by the magic red circle illuminating around him to complete the process. His right hand where his sacred gear was detected began to glow a very bright green for a few seconds upon the reaction of the incantation, until the light and the circle disappeared at the same time. The bullet wound that was present from his chest was no more. Thanks to Rias' magic, the wound soon healed itself up. Everyone was hoping in vain he would come back to life. Twitching, eyes opening, body movements, any dead giveaway from his body would be a clear indication that the chant worked. Unfortunately, his body was still not moving.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't he be up by now?" Issei questioned Rias.

" _What's going on?"_ Rias thought. _"I don't get. It should've brought him back right about now. What's causing the sudden delay? Is his sacred gear rejecting it? No, it accepted it but how come he's not awakened yet?"_ Rias runs closer to Richie's body to examine the problem. She feels his face and neck. To her extent, his body still felt cold.

"No wonder." She spoke. "But I have to be the one to fix it. Akeno!"

"Yes, ma'am?" she happily responded.

"Take everyone and make the jump back to the club room, now! There's something I have to do." She told her picking up Richie's body in a bridal carry.

"Why? What's going on?" Issei wondered on why Rias would simply make a request for Akeno like that. He was worried about Richie about what had happened during the process. He was gasped to see Rias summoning her own teleportation circle. "Wait! Stop, Prez, let me come with you! There has to be something I can do to help!"

"Rias, let me come too! I'm sure my power could be of good use for you!" Asia shouted.

"Thank you both, but this is just something that I have to do all on my own." she replied as her teleportation circle began to sparkle from the bottom up. A given indication that she's ready to make the jump. Meanwhile, Akeno summoned her own teleportation circle from underneath the group's feet. Koneko without any thinking picked up Issei with her strength, preventing him from coming towards Rias. "It's OK. I'll be fine. And Richie will too. I'll see you later." she last said before disappearing with the Indigo Dragon Warrior in her hands. Shortly after, Akeno and the others managed to teleport themselves out of the church.

" _Rias, please save him. I know you can."_ Issei thought with confidence.

While all of the devils of Gremory were gone from the church, outside just a few yards away, Freed and the rest of his family were fuming. Alexavier was stomping furiously onto the ground like a mad gorilla having a tantrum. Being pissed that his deal fell short.

"This is bullshit! God-fucking-dammit! We were so close! This is all your fault, Alexandria!" He pointed furiously at her.

"Me!? What did I do?"

"You forgot to enable the barrier like I told you to and you should've done our job faster. If it wasn't for all of that our plan would've excelled accordingly?"

"Oh, so it's my fault then? Who did you think was the one the pulled the trigger and left both artifacts behind?! Not to mention, killing him. Thereby, abandoning the shield." Alexandria shouted at him before Freed grabbed her shirt staring him in the face with a enraged emotion.

"Listen to me you ignorant, little shit!" Freed gritted. "Don't you _ever_ cross me like that again! You were suppose to follow fucking orders like you were supposed to! Understand!?"

Alexandria began to sigh before responding. "Yes, uncle. Please forgive my repugnant behavior." Freed released her shirt to face away from the two for a bit to focus on the next plan of action. Alexandria asked him another question. "But what about the sword and the amulet?"

"You this sword?" he responded opening his right side of his jacket showing the sword. "And this amulet?" He reached behind his shirt showing he was wearing the amulet the whole time."

"So this whole time, you've kept the real things with you?" Alexandria questioned his uncle.

"Exactly. But it doesn't matter now. Both are still in its purification process. Slow as dirt, perhaps, but it's only a matter of time before our plan is succeeded. Now that I've terminated that ignorant little pest, we can move on!"

"But uncle, what about the shield?"

"Forget the shield! Let him keep it in his own doom. It's the sword and amulet that have the most amount of power. With both in hands, we are steps closer from flourishing into another great war and soon get revenge on those Gremory motherfuckers! And I'll kill anyone those who dare try to stand in my way."

 **WOW! That is one of the longest chapters I've ever wrote for any sort of fan fiction, EVER! I could've if I wanted to, split it into two parts, but I decided to make it into just one big continuation. Thanks so much for reading this. It honestly took longer to write than I thought. I had a bunch of notes compiled together to get the chapter better situated since last year. The 7th chapter will probably be uploaded sometime near the next few months or so. You may notice that Koneko is the one talking less in this fic. Well, she wasn't that much talkative in the first season, but in the future she'll have more voice in her character. College is approaching and that's my first priority over fan fiction, however if ideas begin to pop up in my head, I assure you notes will be taken. I'll probably upload a bio of his character sooner or later. In the meantime, thanks for reading and stay tuned for chapter 7!**


	7. Chapter 7: New Devil on the Block

It was bright early in the morning. The time was now 6:55 a.m. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining in the sky. The sun shined in the sky as a sign of a brand new day. It was so bright it created a beam through a bedroom window of a mysterious house. Inside the bedroom, there resided a young teenage boy sleeping. That young boy was Richie. A beam of light then landed on Richie's face. His face and eyes squinted at the bright sensation in front of him. The bright light immediately gave him a wakeup call, a sign meaning it is time to get out of bed. Richie's eyes began to open, but the more he opened the brighter the sun got, so he slowly rose up from the bed and began yawning followed by stretching his arm and scratching his back. He then placed his right hand on his forehead to rub on.

"Man, that was some dream I had." Said Richie with a yawn. "I dreamt that I was captured by some crazy chick with white hair and I got shot in the chest. But at least it wasn't real. I wonder what's for breakfast?"

As he was finished stretching he laid his left hand on what it seemed to be a pillow on the bed. However, Richie felt something weird as soon as he rested his left hand. This pillow was round, yet it kinda squishy but kinda firm as well. The mysterious object even a little bump on top as Richie felt it with his thumb. He wondered what could it be? Could it be some sort of a toy? It wouldn't make sense to him because he was getting old for toys and even if he did have one, why would it be in his bed. He rules that out of the water. He then second guess that it could be a balloon. Balloons are round, yet can be squishy and firm when being felt to the touch. Plus, it could be the knot he was feeling. But that wouldn't make sense either. Why would it also be in his bed. Finally, he could not take it any longer. He decides to flip the covers up to see what he was feeling. He throws the cover away from the bed. Under the sheets, revealed a busty redheaded girl just lying beside him. The girl was completely naked from head to toe. No clothes were present and neither was Richie. The crimson haired girl had her eyes open the whole time before giving a slight chuckle at him, meaning she was awake as soon as Richie was awake. Richie's reaction to the first sight if a naked girl sleeping beside him, made him shocked and very surprised. What was she doing in bed beside him? He was so scared that he screamed, but also fell outta bed landing on his back. The girl then got up and proceeded to sit beside the edge of the bed to speak to him.

"What a night. Oh, good morning, how are you today?" The red-haired girl greeted after she yawned and stretched.

Richie got up and rubbed his back from the fall off the bed. He looked at the girl right in front. He could see everything from her. From her head to her breasts to her hips. But as he looked at her he looked at back himself. He noticed right away that he was completely naked as well.

"Gahh! My clothes! I'm naked!" Richie yelped and grabbed the nearest thing he could to cover himself up. He covered his nether regions and picked up the sheet to completely cover himself up, only exposing his face while sitting Indian style. Upon further inspection, he starts to look around the room, but it wasn't his room he was familiar with. "This isn't my room. Where am I?" The red-haired girl could not help but to laugh and giggle.

 _"What the--she's laughing. Why is she laughing? Oh crap, don't tell me she saw...my."_ He thought as he gulped. _"But wait a sec I'm naked and she's naked. No way! No freaking way. Hell naw! Are you telling me that me and this girl slept in the same bed together. Did she drug me or something? Did we, actually do it? What the hell is going on!? I don't even know anymore!"_

"Wow, I thought you'd never wake up." red haired girl said.

"N-Never w-wake up?" He stammered as his face began turning light shade of red seeing the girl naked still. "W-What are you talking about? Wh-who are you? Why am I naked? And you're naked too!"

"Yes, I can see that."

"And you're totally cool with that?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" She questioned with a smile while crossing her legs.

"Well no...m-maybe. I think it would be best if you'd put some clothes on first. Not saying looking at a naked girl is bad but, it just feels a bit awkward.

The crimson haired girl understands with Richie and does just that. She picked up a pair of her panties ties she laid folded on a computer desk. She then puts then on to make herself half decent, but with her breasts still exposed.

"Is that better?" she says.

"Yeah. A little bit." He replied.

"So, tell me. How does your chest feel? Where you were shot?"

"Where I was shot?"

Richie's mind triggered a flashback. The flashback cuts to a point in time where he actually got shot in the chest by a fallen angel exorcist. He clutched the spot on the right side of his chest where he was shot.

"Wait, how did you know I had that dream? Was I talking in my sleep _that_ loud. Why does my chest feel a bit tingly when you first mentioned it?"

"That's because it wasn't a dream, hon."

"It wasn't?"

She picked up her bra from the desk where her panties and school uniform were placed. The red-haired girl placed each side of her breast with each cup.

"Your body's so amazing. It's miraculous how you recovered overnight, I wasn't even sure you were going to make it."

"Recover from what?" He asked.

"Your wound. You took a nasty blow to the chest, but all you needed was a little more magic for the process to continue. Plus, I need you."

"You need me?"

She attempts to fix her bra to snap the hooks in place. Unfortunately, hooking her own bra was a bit tricky for her to do. She asks Richie if she could help her out.

"Could you help me with this?"

Richie's mouth opened wide. His inner thoughts begin take over his mind. **_"Richie! This is a once in a lifetime chance! A girl is asking you to put on her bra! My boy, if you don't say yes…"_**

"Uhhh...yes..a-a-absolutely." he said. Richie stood up from the floor, however he wrapped around the bed sheets over his nether regions like a towel. He then helped snapping in her bra back into place. "So, can I ask you a question?"

"Go right ahead."

"Why am I naked?"

"I already told you. When I revived you, your body was weak from so much blood loss. Your wound wouldn't heal completely so I transferred some of my magic over to you. The only way to do so is if our bodies made full contact with each other. In other words, the process only works if we're both naked."

Richie heard those two final words coming out the girl's sentence. Both and naked. He was in so much disbelief he could not comprehend what happened. A rocking, naked, slim body like hers all up against his bare body. He began to speak up on it.

"So, you're saying that _your_ naked body, touched _my_ naked body and that we…did we?" he says while putting both of his hands on his head, eyes wide open in shocked.

"Calm down, you don't have to fear. We didn't do anything. I promise you. I'm still a virgin." She happily said resting her hand on his shoulder. Richie was relieved to hear that.

"Oh, thank goodness. Uh, I mean. Well, I'm saying that because we didn't do it, not because you're a virgin. Not saying it's a bad thing, because cause I'm a virgin too, so you're not alone here but...DAAHH I'm flustered!" as he dangles his head down over how embarrassing and stupid he said. The girl giggled for a bit about Richie's last sentence. She hugs him from behind. Her breasts were touching on his back. His face turns red the moment he feels them.

"What's with that face? You should embrace this world. Be happy about your new life."

"New life? What do you mean by that? And what did you mean by revived me? Who are you or to put it better, what are you?" Richie asked.

"You sure are a curious one. Aren't you? All will be answered soon today. But, I'll be more than happy to answer your last question. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Rias Gremory. I am your master and you are currently in one of my servant's house for the time being. Richie, you are declared my servant to your master, which is me, from here on out."

 _"Servant? Master?"_ He thought.

 ***BEEP *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP *BEEP***

The alarm clock goes off at precisely 7:00 p.m. Rias walks over to the clock to hit the snooze button to stop it.

"Oh, that time already?" Rias' said hitting the alarm clock.

"What? What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just have to get ready for school, that's all. I'm going to go on ahead to the bathroom and freshen up. As my servant, I'm letting know you know that you will be enrolled in the same school as I am in Kuoh Academy. At least until tomorrow. Oh, if you're wondering where your clothes are, they're on the computer chair to your right. If you need me, I'll be in the bathroom." She pointed.

Richie looks over at the computer chair to notice his clothes were on the computer chair, as well as his black jacket. He walked over and picked up his leather jacket to get a good view from it. The jacket that had a bullet hole from the back was now gone. He was puzzled as to how it all happened.

"This is all getting too weird. How is it that I got shot, end up dead, and suddenly I wound up back alive? Even if she is a devil, this still doesn't make any sense to me. I'm her 'servant' she says. But I do know one thing. Since all this has happened, her bringing me back to life gives me sign. A second chance. To get Aeris' artifacts back where it belongs." he says clutching his jacket. "Those three are gonna pay after what they did to me. But first...I think I better put some clothes on."

Richie grabbed his underwear from the computer chair and proceed to put them on. He then put on his blue jeans, then afterwards his socks and shoes. He feels the outside the outside of his pocket. Both his phone and wallet were still left inside and intact. However, one last thing was missing, his blue shirt.

"My shirt. Where's my shirt?" He says looking under and over the computer desk. He tries to think what happened to his shirt and why it would go missing. He then realized what happened to his shirt. He gave his shirt to Asia during the battle against Freed.

"That's right, I loaned Asia my shirt during that fight. That makes sense, but I still need a shirt."

Richie looks at a closet to his left. He had an idea. He got on top of the bed to opened the closet that was conveniently next to it. Inside, was a broad arrangement of shirts, jackets and pants.

"Whoever sleeps here in this room, I'm sure he wouldn't mind me borrowing one of his shirts. A shame he doesn't have any blue ones in here. Let's see. How about this one." He says picking a solid red shirt from off the hanger before throwing on the red shirt.

The shirt was a perfect fit for him. Smoothing out any wrinkles or such downward. He puts on his black jacket and goes out the bedroom door. He walks downstairs toward the inside of the living room.

"Wow. Whoever's house is this sure did a good job taking care of it." Richie said observing the looks of the good looks of the living room from the bottom of the stairs.

"Richie! Richie!" Rias exclaimed rushing from upstairs in her Kuoh Academy uniform carrying her book bag looking for Richie until she finds him downstairs. "Oh, there you are. Alright, so from this point on you are not allowed to leave this house until Kiba, one of my other servants, comes by to pick you up. He has permission by me and the principal to leave his class early. He'll be here by around 2:30.

"Uh...OK. Don't leave the house once someone that works for you comes by. Gotcha. I can do that." Richie approves.

"Perfect." She says heading out the door. "Since you're going to be inside for while, feel free to eat and drink whatever you like in the fridge. I'll see you later around three. Oh, and Richie, one more thing"

"What is it?"

"Welcome to the club." She winked before exiting the house, closing the door behind her.

"Huh?" What did she mean by that?" He said cocking his head a little to the side. He hears a growling noise with a rumbling sensation in his stomach. He feels the grumbling with his hand letting him know he's hungry. "Oh yeah, that's right. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I better make myself useful and make some breakfast. I wonder kind of food they got here?"

Richie enters himself into the kitchen to make himself breakfast. The refrigerator was his main target. Now that he's in Japan, he wonders what kind of food lies beyond that fridge compared to the food and drinks he has back in his home in America. He obviously never had anything sort of Asian cuisine or a snack before. But, Richie wasn't afraid to try anything new. It was just the fact he never had it before. He opens the refrigerator to see a plethora of food as far as the eyes could see. Richie's mouth widened in amazement of how there's so much food.

"So many choices, so much food. I don't know where to start. I guess I'll start basic with eggs, potatoes, bacon." Richie said grabbing the items off from inside the refrigerator, putting them on the kitchen counter. He searched for deeper to see what he could find. Richie had an idea. "I have ham and eggs now. If I could find some green peppers, I could make an omelet."

He searched to find the green peppers. To little surprise he found them sitting inside a plastic box on the refrigerator shelf behind the door.

"Jackpot! Found them and they're minced too!"

He lays the minced green peppers on the kitchen counter next to the eggs and bacon and potatoes. Conveniently enough, he also finds a loaf of sliced bread. The bread slices would be perfect for making toast. Before he could start cooking, he has to find a pan to cook it in. He looks down below the sink cabinets to find them. Fortunately, on the third door on the right of the sink he finds two skillets to cook the omelet and potatoes separately. Next, he goes the top drawer on top of the third door cabinet he luckily finds a fork and knife along with a cheese grater.

"Great, now I'll be able to make hash browns along with my omelet." He says laying the two pans separately under each burner. "Now, all I need is butter and I'm all set. Now the butter should be in the shelf in the fridge."

Richie looks over the fridge one more time. There on the inside shelf he sees the butter hidden behind two jars of jelly.

"Bingo. Now, let's get down to business." He says heating up the pans with butter. "Before I start, I gotta put on some music for motivation. Let's see. Since my phone turned itself from a galaxy to a flip phone, my songs _should_ all be in this phone."

He opens his flip phone up to try at the very least to access the music application. To much succession, he did. He scrolled all the way down from A-Z finding out that all his songs he downloaded in his original world were still there. His situation was very similar back at the arcade when his dollars changed into yen, but the amount was equal compared to both currencies. He scrolled to the song he selected. In fact, it was one of his favorite songs growing up with his dad whenever he or them cooked breakfast. The style of music he picked was a Tejano with a dash of pop. It's in his family bloodline to cook breakfast while listening to Tejano or any sort of Mexican music while cooking breakfast. He believes that it comes from his grandfather that was passed on to his dad, now passed down onto him. The music starts and now he has begun to cook.

 ***25 Minutes Later***

Breakfast was done. Richie had made a big light fluffy omelet mixed with green peppers, crushed bacon, and crispy hash browns for his side. Before he began to eat, he forgot the most important ingredient to any omelet.

"Ketchup! I forgot the ketchup." He said grabbing the ketchup from back inside the fridge and putting it on the kitchen table. "Alright, omelet, hash brown, orange juice, ketchup. Check, check, check, and check. Finally, I can sit down and eat."

Richie took his plate and his drink toward the kitchen table to sit down and enjoy his omelet and toast. Before he ate, he puts his hands together to pray, so he could bless the food.

"Dear Lord, please bless the food I am about to eat. To help nourish and replenish my energy throughout the day, in Jesus name I pray, Amen. AGHHHH! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

Richie held both hands on the top of his head. Blessing the food after somewhat gave him a very quick and mild, yet painful headache. The sensation of his pain felt like getting a brain freeze after getting whacked in the side of the head. Rubbing his head for relief was the only way he would know how to get rid of that mild pain. Thankfully, the pain alleviated from itself for half a minute. He sighed of relief.

"What a relief that was. Now, to finally eat my breakfast."

Within minutes, Richie devoured the food on his plate like it was nothing. He was known for being a fast eater at both school and home. Sometimes at his school, he would pay more for seconds, should the food be _that_ good. His breakfast _did_ make him full enough until around lunch comes around. He stretched both his arms and legs all the way while still sitting down.

"Mmmhmmm. That was good. The toast probably could've been cooked more but overall still great. Better clean up these dishes, before I do anything else."

Richie went ahead to pick up his plate clean it and the rest of the dishes he used for cooking breakfast in the sink. It would be a shame for him to just leave the unclean dishes left behind and have someone else do it for him. To him, it would be rude and inconsiderate of him to even think of that. As so, he washed every dish and utensil that used for breakfast. The dishes were placed on a rack next to the sink to dry.

"Done." He simply put. With a sigh of relief, he walked over to living room resting flat on his on top of the couch cushions. His body now felt relaxed completely on the comfy sofa. Or so he was, until he felt something hard, poking on the side of his back hip to give him that slight uncomfortable feel. Reaching down with his right hand he discovered a television remote hiding in between the couch cushions.

"A TV remote." He said as pulled it out. "I always wondered what kind of daytime television they have in Japan. Even if it is in another world. Wouldn't hurt try."

Richie turns the TV on with the remote in his hand. Instantaneously within a couple of seconds, the tv turns on. It was showing the weather channel to give updates on current conditions throughout Japan. He watched it for a few moments to see what the weather was going to be like today. The weather lady said it is going to be a fair day today with temperatures in the 70s. Richie turns the TV to the next channel. He finds a channel specifically on game shows. Richie loved watching game shows growing up as a kid. Making his own game show or even pretending to host one from the shows he watches to entertain his mom and dad as child always made both him and his parents smile. As a teenager, he still has a strong heart with good game shows. He still has dreams of hosting his own game show every once in a while. However, watching a Japanese game show compared to the shows he watches in America was a new experience for him. This game show in particular was showing two teams of three contorting themselves to fit through cutouts of shapes for their bodies to match, while the cutouts move faster as the players prepare themselves to fit or else they'll fail and take a dive in the pool. To put in simpler terms, a human version of Tetris. Richie was skeptical at first until he saw how the game show worked. He was laughing up a storm the way those people tried to imitate the shapes.

"HAHAHA!! He knows that she can't pick up her husband from that height. Even if she did, there's no way his big ass was gonna fit in that hole. Oh, this game show is too rich! HAHAHAAA! Wow, who knew Japanese game shows could be so hilarious!" He laughed.

 _"We'll be right back with another episode of Brain Wall. Part of our 8-hour marathon."_

"And their marathoning it! Oh, I am so watching this! It's only 8 hours. Heck, I binge watched Double Dare for 12 hours before. If I can do that, then this is just mere child's play. One episode kept me entertained, so I'm sure that more episodes throughout can't waste my time."

 ***8 Hours Later***

It was the last episode of Brain Wall before the marathon ended. Richie had sat there on the sofa for more than 7 hours in not moving a muscle. It was final round of the episode. The red team was at two points and the blue team is at zero. Blue only needs three points to win the game. The calls out for the great Wall. A red curtain rises to reveal the final wall. The wall revealed was rainbow colored with holes in shape of a see-see. A triangle shaped fulcrum, a medium rectangle, and a square load. The wall was moving faster. The blue team only had seconds to think.

"C'mon. C'mon. C'mon. You guys got this." He said under teeth on the edge of his seat.

The rainbow wall came in closer and closer until finally all three team members made an attempt to jump into all three holes. Each member went through each hole, down back onto the play zone. They were all safe in the play area. The crowd cheered loudly for victory with them. Confetti fell from the studio ceiling in celebration. The winning team won a substantial cash jackpot. It was the biggest jackpot ever given away in the shows record history.

"Yeah!" Richie yelled standing. Pumping his fist downward to join in on the celebration.

 ***DING DONG***

He heard a doorbell chime coming from yards behind him. He had reached the remote to turn the TV off and got up to get the door.

"I guess that must be that servant Rias told me about." He assumed.

Richie opens the door. "Hello, can I help y-." His face was frozen when he saw a familiar face.

"Wow, looks like you're doing well. It sure has been a while. I believe we haven't properly introduced ourselves. My name is Kiba Yuuto. Pleased to meet you." He says reaching out his left hand for a handshake. Richie took a good look at his face. He remembered him fighting against Alexavier during the rescue. Richie was a bit nervous at first as his tried to extend his right hand for handshake as well. He met this guy before during the fight and realized that he was allied with Issei at that point. The boy soon calmed himself down upon realization, immediately shaking his hand.

"Um, Richie Louisè. Pleasure to meet you too." he said shaking his hand.

"Excellent. I'm sure Rias has told you that I was coming here to pick you up." Kiba told him.

"Yeah, she said you were taking me to her school."

"We better get going. We don't wanna make Rias worried now do we?"

"Uh, sure. Let's go. I guess." Richie said locking the door before closing it behind him.

And so, Kiba and Richie walked together on the way towards the school where Rias and the others were currently residing, Kuoh Academy. The school itself was only a mere few blocks away from the Hyoudou household. A few moments later they finally arrived to the front gates if the school. Richie could not believe on how huge the school building was right in front of his eyes.

"Woah! So, this is where you and Rias go to school here?"

"Are you impressed?"

"Impressed? Dude, this looks like a small college than a high school. Even we don't have private academies that huge from where I come from. Do you think we have time for a quick tour?

"Class is getting ready to be over soon." He said looking at his watch as it read 2:45 pm. "Hey, why not? I can show you the inside of our school for little bit as we go through. After that, I take you to the new basketball court our school just built, right behind the building. Wanna check it out?"

"You had me at basketball court. Yeah, sure. I totally don't mind." Richie happily said.

"Great! Follow me."

The boys entered past the gates on the way to the inside the school. As they made their way inside, Richie was surprised still to see how huge the school was on the inside compared to the outside.

"Now, there are only four floors in this school. The first floor is for the 1st year students, the second floor for the second-year students, the third for the third year, and the fourth for the fourth year. Are your schools like that?"

"Well yeah, but we don't have dedicated floors for each year of study. We normally just have two floors. Freshmen and sophomores for the first floor and the juniors and seniors for the second."

"I see."

"So, how long have you guys been building your school's basketball court?"

"Since they made the announcement of our academy getting new basketball team?" Kiba replied.

"You guys got your team's already?"

"Not quite. The court we built outside is usually for p.e. classes, for now anyway. We should get new basketball equipment sometime tomorrow in the gymnasium for indoor p.e. and upcoming games. The only thing left for someone to hold tryouts this school year."

"When will that take place?"

"Probably until all the equipment is installed."

"I bet if I were attending this school, I'll be the first one to tryout and make the team before you even know it."

"Here, we arrived the end if the school. C'mon let me show you our new court." Kiba lead Richie outside opening the back-entrance door.

Kiba and Richie were finally outside behind the school. Richie followed Kiba along the way toward the newly built basketball court. The court was built adjacent to the gymnasium. They walked around the left side of the gymnasium until they spotted the new basketball court. In fact, there wasn't just one basketball court, there were only four. Richie took a good look at the new courts. The four courts were identical to each one, having white backboards, orange hoops, and a white net. He could smell the finished yet fresh concrete from a few feet away.

"So, whaddya think." Kiba asked.

"It all looks so great. This is all too cool. It must've take you all weeks to build all this." Richie said.

"Actually, it took us three days."

"Three days? Three days it took to build four identical basketball courts."

"Yep, you should thank our school council president. She's the one that suggested it in the first place."

Suddenly, Kiba's alarm on his wrist watch starts to go off. It was almost 5 minutes before class was over.

"It looks like it's our time we parted ways, but I'll be right back here with the rest of the group. I'm gonna head straight to their classes and tell them how you're doing now. I'm sure they've been dying to know. Anyways, it was nice talking with you. I'll be back, just stay here, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Richie replied waving. Kiba ran all the way back to the school to inform Issei and the other crew about Richie's current condition.

 _"Issei...Asia...I wonder how are you guys feeling now after all that's happened."_ He thought slightly rubbing his chest. His chest still had a slight tingly feeling where he was shot. The memory is still haunting him in his mind. The psychotic exorcist shooting him in the chest with one bullet.

 _"I need something to get this stupid memory out of my head."_

He spots an orange basketball sitting beside the goal post of court number one. Picking up the basketball gave him an idea to pass the time.

 _"Hey, I haven't touched a basketball since I got zapped here into this new world. It sure has been a while since me and Blake practiced for the big game."_ He sighed, picking up the basketball doing a bit of dribbling. _"I just hope Blake, mom, and dad are doing fine without me. Hmmmmm. Do I still got it?_

Richie bounces the ball toward the center three-point line. After doing a bit of crossover dribbles, he shoots a jumper from the three-point line. He shoots with a high enough until sinking the basket, succeeding his shot.

"I still got it." He said smiling and nodding with a confident look.

 ***BELL RINGS***

The time is now 3:00 p.m. All of the students in the classroom have already left for the day. All except for Issei sitting with the rest of the remaining classmates. He was told y Rias to stay put until Kiba comes back.

"Hi, Issei!"

Issei turns around from his desk to hear a sweet, familiar voice. He sees Asia standing beside the doorway with her bookbag.

"Oh, hey Asia."

"How was your class?" she said walking towards him.

"Same old, same old. Did Rias tell you to come here?"

"Yeah, I just got her text as soon as class was over. The only thing left now is just wait for Kiba to show up here too."

Issei sighed soon after with one hand under his chin, still contemplating about yesterday. Asia became concerned about Issei.

"Still worried about Richie?"

"Yeah. Ever since then I barely ate lunch. I couldn't even get a good night's sleep it's that bad. Sleeping in the club room felt kinda eerie. I don't get why I couldn't even go to my own house that night. I haven't heard from Rias since we came in. I tried to ask her but I wasn't sure what to say her, so.I got nervous.

"To be honest Issei, I was kinda scared to ask once about Richie's condition either. But, I'm sure whatever Rias did she knew what she was doing. We faith in her and she has faith in us as well. After all, she brought you and me back to life once, right?" She said putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, yeah! You're right, Asia. I mean this is Rias Gremory were talking about. There's no way she would ever give up on something like that."

"You two seemed pretty confident already." a voice in the background said.

"Kiba!" Issei and Asia said in unison.

"Hey guys. So, do you wanna hear the good news or the good news?"

"Wait. Two good pieces of news? Is it about Richie?" Issei said.

"You two can rest assure that Richie is going to be a-ok."

Asia sighed of relief. "Thank goodness. I'm so glad he's doing fine."

"Yeah. What a relief. Now I can finally rest easy. So, what's that other good news?"

"We're bringing him into our clubroom in a moment so we can discuss on what, why, and how everything has happened on that night. Rias told me to not discuss anything that happened last night until everyone is present there."

"By the way, where is Richie?" Issei asked.

"I brought him here with me to the school so we can walk with him at the clubroom. I'm sure you two wouldn't have a problem with that now do you?"

"No, we wouldn't mind it at all." Asia said.

"Then let's not waste time. Let's go get him. But, where did you last leave him?"

Out of the blue, a huge crowd of students we're cheering in the outside. The sound was crystal clear to all three of them. Asia, Issei, and Kiba rushed toward the windows to see what was the source that was making all that noise. Issei opened the window to find the cause of what made the crowd lively. They're eyes peered toward a semi big crowd over one guy in a red solid shirt laying basketball at the courts. With every shot the guy made, the crowd would cheer even more.

"Richie?" Asia spoke glaring in the distance as she was covering the sun with her hand.

"Does that answer your question?" Kiba inquired.

"C'mon, we better check it out!" Issei added.

All three vacated the classroom in a hurry to figure out what was going on over at the courts. Back outside, Richie was playing basketball by himself, with the crowd surrounding him. The students of Kuoh Academy were amazed by his basketball shots. Richie continues his moves with a series of crossover dribbles before finishing it with a hook shot from the free throw line. The ball falls straight into the hoop as the students applauded and cheered for his good shot. Richie smiles with glee from the crowd's reaction. He then charges from the three-point line until from the base of the hoop he spins an impressive 360 layup. More people cheered even louder finding the moves that he performed was extraordinary to them. Most of the students never seen him before nor even knew who Richie is.

"Who Is that guy?" Katase questioned.

"I don't know, he must be a new transfer. But he looks kinda cute though." Murayama answered.

Richie waves his right hand back in forth to signal the crowd to stand aside. "Alright everybody, stand back! I'm gonna try and make this shot from half-court distance!"

The students were mixed with mummering not sure what will happen on his next shot. They've never seen a half-court shot up close and personal. Only times they seen it were online and on TV. But the more crowd gotten louder, the more people showed up.

"WOOOHOOO! Keep it up kid! You're doing great!" Tomoe shouted.

"What's going on here?" Tsubasa asked.

"Oh hey, Tsubasa. This kid showed up started playing basketball on our new court. He's been making shot after shot without missing one. We don't know if he's transfer student or not, but if he is, we could sure use a guy like him for our new basketball team."

"Yeah, so what if he put a few in. That doesn't make him a player." Saji covetously added.

Richie dribbles the ball all the way from the front of the half court line. He stops to take a deep in and out for a moment. His eyes are heavily focus on both the ball and the hoop. The crowd was now watching him. All eyes were on him. He gets his form in the correct position, aligning in front of the goal before bouncing the ball a few times to get a feel for it. Richie steps just about five or so feet from the court line to have a little more space He embedded the mindset shooting the shot in his mind. The main target was the backboard. Using that backboard to his advantage will increase his chances of making this shot. Eyes on the prize. He takes a slow running start before crossing the line. Richie bended his knees forward for power when pushing off with his legs releasing the ball with his fingers. It was either sink it or dink it. Miss or Make. The ball swirled its way toward the backboard, however it hit the back of the rim instead. It bounced upwards back into the air. The crowd gasped thinking he would miss the shot, but they were about wrong. The ball came back down through the hoop. Richie's shot was a complete success. The crowd exploded in a huge hurrah. Almost loud enough for the school to hear. Richie throws his fist in the air for the accomplishment of that shot. He takes a bow to the left of the crowd and over toward the right, as if he was a pianist ending his recital.

"Thank you, thank you." he said.

"Would _that_ make him a player?" Tsubasa told Saji as she clapped for Richie.

Many of the students began to clammer around for a while after witnessing the shot first hand. However, the views on the at shot were more positive than negative.

"Amazing"

"What an incredible shot from half court!"

"Unbelievable! I'd never seen anything like that up close before."

"This kid is on fire!"

"Not to mention good looking." Aika said with a smirk adjusting her glasses as the sun shined a glare on the lens.

Most of the students we're enjoying the show Richie was giving. Most except two students. One student had a buzzed head with a snarky attitude. The other had brown hair and square shaped glasses with a creepy factor. Those two were not impressed by the way he's attracting all the attention. Not mention, some of the female students were beginning to be fond of Richie. Could it mean sheer jealousy for those two boys? The boy with the buzzed haircut stepped on the free throw line.

"HEY KID!" the buzzed haired boy yelled. "What's it to ya mooching off the ladies like that with you so called "skills?"

Richie turned around to see who was yelling at him. His sees the boy right in front of him. Richie was still at half court distance. The setting felt like an old western call out. His reaction was quite wry.

"I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" Richie replied pointing at himself.

"I'm the only one here aren't I!? You got some nerve showing up at our school thinking you're hot shit or something! So, how about you and me spar in a little one on one match. C'mon, show me what you're made of!" he said taking off his academy jacket.

"You tell him, Matsuda!" Motohama exclaimed.

Richie thought about the idea. "Alright, I accept your challenge. I'm letting you know now, where I come from it's rare that besides my teammates, want to challenge me one on one."

"Oh, this should be fun." Aika pulls out her cell phone to begin recording the face off from within the crowd.

The two individuals were standing right in front of each other in the free throw circle. Richie was facing the goal, bouncing the ball while Matsuda was facing him. Richie was the main offense with Matsuda in the defense.

"I'd like to see you get past me." he taunted.

Richie dribbled a few feet backwards with a slight smirk on his face. He had already figured out a way to get past Matsuda to make the shot.

"Look at him. His core is so weak and his stance is off balance. It's like he barely played basketball or he never even played it in his life." he thought. "OK, I got a little something for ya."

He dribbles forward to Matsuda until getting in a little bit downward to psyche him out. Bouncing the ball side to side, he runs to the left. Matsuda tries to block it, but Richie fakes it and dribbles to the right. Matsuda fell to the ground, with the shot being wide open. Richie charges to the hoop. Instead of doing a basic layup shot, he jumps up from the ground with the ball in his right hand, extending his arm upward at an angle. He nails the shot with a slam dunk. The crowd's witness of that dunk was to them insane. Richie couldn't believe what he just done. He thought he would be unsuccessful at that dunk. They were surprised to see a slam dunk in front of their eyes. Motohama rushed in to try and help Matsuda off from the ground.

"You OK Matsuda?" Motohama asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Somehow, someway I'm gonna get that show-off for making a fool out of me!"

The students paced themselves to Richie, ending up being more surrounded than ever. The crowd wanted to know more about him. Where did he come from? Does he go to Kuoh Academy? If not, what school does he attend. What's his secret? Where and when did he learn all those moves? Clearly, they were very influenced by what they saw. Richie could not fathom all the questions given to him. Issei, Kiba, and Asia finally made their way outside to see the basketball court full of students of the academy. They know Richie was at the court, however him being gathered by people was going to be a slight hunch.

"There, I can see him!" Kiba pointed. "Listen, you two go right ahead. We'll meet you back at the clubroom. I'm sure Rias is wondering where we're at now."

They both nodded their heads in agreement to follow what Kiba told them. With the two gone to the old school building where the clubroom resides, Kiba makes his way to the center of the crowd to have Richie come with him. Kiba steps through the tough crowd before seeing Richie from the back of the head up close. Richie felt a tap on his right shoulder. He turned around to see a familiar face.

"Kiba?" said Richie.

"Surprised? I leave you here for 10 minutes and already you've started to gain attention."

The students were surprised to see Kiba here, as he too was and is the most popular guy in the entire school. Many of the girls were swooned into seeing Kiba, as if they were fangirls cheering for a handsome celebrity.

"Oh my god, it's Kiba!" One girl shouted.

"Kiba, we didn't expect you. You missed a lot here." Another girl said.

"I believe we should get get going. We don't want Rias getting worried about us." Kiba told him.

Richie accepts what Kiba had said. Kiba asked the crowd to disperse for a moment so both of them to get by. However, the students were kinda bummed out after Richie left. At the same time, they were a bit flabbergasted that Kiba knew who Richie is. The moves he executed was quite the after-school performance. In fact, the students still have not had a clue on what or who he was. Not even getting a mention of his name. The fun was over and everyone dispersed to go about their normal separate ways.

Outside, Kiba escorts Richie inside the old school building. Upstairs, Kiba opens the double doors for Richie to allow him inside the main clubroom where they all rest of the club members meet. The lighting and ambiance of the clubroom was only dimmed with candles sitting on each corner of the room. There were ancient miniature statues as well to create a historic feel to it. Two antique style sofas were sitting front of each other between one small table. They see Koneko sitting alone on the first sofa eating a few pieces of chocolate on a plate. Nobody else besides her was present.

"Here we are Richie. Welcome to the clubroom of the occult research club. I'm sure Rias will be here with you shortly." informed Kiba. "Huh."

"What's wrong?" asked Richie.

"I told Issei and Asia to meet us back here, but it doesn't seem that they're here."

"I got a text from Asia earlier. She said they'll both be a little bit later than usual." said Koneko.

"Oh, I see. Thanks, Koneko. Richie, I've believe you met Koneko before. Koneko is a 1st year student in Kuoh Academy."

"Yeah, kinda. From the battle earlier. It's great to meet you once more, K-Koneko." Richie nervously bowed to her.

"I'm quite pleased." She said continuing to eat her chocolate. "So, how are you feeling."

He sat down the opposite in front of her to continue the conversation.

"I'm doing fine. Actually, I'm doing better than I've been in a while now. Just a bit nervous that's all." he chuckled.

Richie's right leg was shaking for a little while. It's a normal tendency for him while he's nervous. Koneko did not say anything afterwards in that conversion. She kept on focusing eating her chocolate into small bites to savor every moment into biting it in an elegant way. Richie looked at her eating the bite size candies.

 _"Who eats bite size chocolate like that with a small fork? That's some weird way of eating it. She is kinda cute though. Hard to believe she's a first-year freshman. She looks more like an elementary school student if you ask me."_ he thought.

"You do know it's impolite to stare, right?" implied Koneko.

"Oh, um sorry." he apologized.

From the beyond the walls, Richie could hear water rushing down to the floor. He listened carefully to figure out where it was coming from.

 _"What's going on? Is that water I hear? It sounds like it's coming from behind. Almost like a shower, even."_

"Madame President, your clothes are laid on the rack whenever you're ready to come out."

"Thank you, Akeno." Rias spoked.

 _"Get the fuck outta here with that! Is that Rias actually taking a shower? What kinda club has their own indoor shower? I don't know if I should find it hot or just plain strange."_

"Oh goody, he's finally here." a voice can be heard nearby.

A girl with a long black ponytail had stepped out from a curtain where Rias' shower resided. She turned around to see Richie sitting down.

He stood up to see who she was. He tries to introduce himself, but of course as bad habits go, he started to have the nervous shakes. The girl notices it. She chuckles about his nervousness. He was also surprised to see a girl so stunning standing right in front of him.

"You must be the new rookie around here." she said with a bow. "You shouldn't be nervous about anything at all. Everyone here is oh so nice. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Akeno Himejima, I'm the Vice President of this club. What's your name?"

"Uh, m-my name is R-R-R-Richie Louisè. It's a pleasure meeting you as well." he bowed back shaking while blushing.

"Well Richie, would you like some tea? I've just prepared a fresh warm batch for the upcoming new guy."

"I w-would be very delighted. Thank you." replied Richie sitting back down.

 _"For the shy type, he is such a cutie."_ Akeno thought to herself.

Now, the only things left are for Issei and Asia to arrive and for Rias to come out of her shower. The sound of rushing water came to an immediate halt. A sudden indication that Road's shower was just about done. Akeno handed her a drying towel as soon as she heard the shower stop. Rias began to dry as fast as she could to get her meeting started as possible. She went to put on her uniform at last before stepping out of the curtains with her towel to dry her hair. Meanwhile, Akeno stepped out as well with her tray of warm tea, teacups, and for an added bonus, small square shortbread cookies.

"Richie, your tea is ready. I've added some tea biscuits in case you were a bit hungry."

"Oh uh, thank you Akeno." he smiled

"Richie, I'm so glad that you could make it." Rias said drying her hair. "By the way where's Issei and Asia, they should already be here."

The sound of two doors open from behind. It is revealed that it was both Issei and Asia making their way inside. Richie was just about to sip his tea when he heard a very familiar voice.

"Sorry if we're a bit late. I had to use the bathroom at school so Issei had to wait for me." Asia told the club members.

"It's no trouble. You guys are actually right on time." Rias told them.

Richie immediately got up from his seat. He turns around to see two familiar faces.

"Issei? Asia?" spoken Richie.

"Richie!" both said in unison as they paced toward him.

"You okay, buddy? Me and Asia we're getting a bit worried about you."

"Yeah. But I'm just so glad you're alright." Asia said before she started to hug him. Richie felt the embrace as he lightly blushed. Asia let go of her embrace to ask Richie. "How are you feeling today?"

"I feel great. I actually feel better than ever. Like I've had more energy than before. But it feels feels kinda weird and off-putting to me. I really can't describe it.

"You must be feeling a lot better after Rias healed your wounds. How does it feel to be one of us now?" Issei said.

"One of you? Issei, I don't get what you're saying."

"What? Don't tell me you don't remember when…"

"I think it would be best for me to explain this whole situation." Rias interjected as she sat down in her desk.

The rest of the club members, including Richie sat back down. As Vice President, Akeno stood beside Rias, with Koneko sitting next to Kiba and Richie sitting in between Issei and Asia.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start this club, shall we?" Rias spoke. "First and foremost, I would like to officially welcome Richie Louisè into the Occult Research Club.

However, Richie you should note that this club isn't really a real club. It's supposed to look like some ordinary school hobby."

"Okay? So, if this isn't really a club, then what's this place really about?" he asked sipping his tea.

"Alright, since you put it at that, I might as well be upfront with this. Everyone here in this room, including you, is a devil."

As soon as Richie heard that, he began to choke in on his own tea. He swallowed the tea down before coughing a few times to clear his throat"

"Excuse me. Sorry about that." he coughed setting his tea down. "I think I misheard you for a bit. Did you say that I…am a Devil?"

"No, you heard me clear as day. Yes, you _are_ a devil."

Having Rias tell Richie crystal clear that he is now a devil, gave him the most uncomfortable chill behind his back that he has ever had. His eyes were widening of a horrific state. He couldn't believe it. His mom, dad, and his other family members have a history of going to church, learning about the words of God and how devils and amongst other demons are bad. Richie stands up prior to speak.

"I... there's no way that...that's impossible. I...me and my family go to church like twice a month learning about God. Why did it have to be like this? Still, none of this makes any sense to me. How is it that I'm standing alive as a devil?!"

After his exclamatory question, Rias pulls out a photo that not only Richie, but also the other club members might recognize.

"Do you know what this is Richie?"

"Yeah, it's a photo. So, what of it?"

"Look closer."

He takes a deeper look into the photo to get a better detailed view. He remembers the place where he was when that hidden photo was taken. Another closer look, he also sees a girl with silver hair and yellow eyes, sitting in front of him. Upon immediate recognition, he knew who that girl was.

"Alexandria." He said.

"That's right. Everything you've experienced through your so called "date" with her wasn't a dream nor was it an illusion. Alexandria Sellzen is real. Only to play you like a fiddle in an attempt to kill you. Also, the man that shot you in cold blood, he too is a fallen angel. Richie, is something the matter?

"Yeah, I get that part, but why? Why would they do something like that to me?" he said with his hand on his chest.

"For a fallen angel like Alexandria, her goal is to simply wipe you out. But in this case, she manipulated you just so that she and the rest of her family would take away your sacred gear. Then toss you aside like garbage after the job was done. If it wasn't for Issei letting us know before, you would not be here standing with us."

Richie places both hands on his forehead to fathom about it. If Issei and the crew didn't show up or even told him about where he was going, he would have failed the mission. "This is heavy." He said.

"Some would think that devils and beings like them are the same, but there is a difference. Their wish is to serve God but it's too late for them. Their evil emotions have succumbed themselves to the underworld. Currently, they're still at war with us to wipe all of us devils out to gain supremacy in our realm which you call hell. Of course, there's also the more recognizable beings that serve God and to fight for his beliefs in order to exterminate us as well.

"So, when you put that way, you guys are constantly defending yourselves in a handicapped situation. This is some real shit we're talking about. But that still doesn't answer my previous question. How am I still alive?

"Well if you must know, when Freed shot you, your injuries were too severe to sustain. So, severe not even Asia's twilight healing could help it. The bullet hit you in you the right main carotid artery, resulting you in a massive deal of blood loss. Recognize this flier?" Rias said pulling out a small leaflet.

"That flyer. That's the thing I grabbed from some lady that was handing them out when I was wandering around in the streets."

"Just before you died, you summoned me using _this_ flyer."

 _"Summoned? I do remember saying stuff like, wishing to reverse everything."_

"And on that day, you were revived to be my devil servant as the second knight to Rias Gremory, the heir to the Gremory throne. Now, is there anything else you would like to ask?

"Yeah. You mentioned something earlier about a sacred gear? I remember when I was being told about that, but I never quite got that. I always thought that it was some sort of tool that I could use if I'm like being attacked or something. He said thinking about what Aeris told him in the past.

"That's kind of what the gist of what a sacred gear is, but to put more specifically, it's an intense variant of power that has been possessed by a rare few people from generations. In fact, most historical figures who possess sacred gears usually go down in history. But in most cases, sacred gears are sometimes uncontrollable against those who don't. Some often not only become a threat to fallen angels, but for devils too." Kiba pointed.

"He's right. For you see Richie, yours is very special. Do you know anything about the Indigo Dragon Empress?"

Richie was astonished. "Wait...how do you know about Aeris?"

"I figured you already knew about her. She was the one that gave you the sacred gear in the first place. Shortly after when I left for school, I asked Akeno to dig up some more information about your sacred gear. I think she will be the best to explain in better detail. Akeno, if you please?"

"It would be my pleasure." She bows. "From most of the research I've managed to gather in the past eight hours, I can now conclude that Richie has an incredible gift neither me or Rias could even imagine. Right now, you possess the power of the hidden longinus known by only by a small amount of people as the legendary Indigo Dragon Prodigy Gear."

"Prodigy Gear?" Issei was baffled to hear the name of Richie's sacred gear. He starts to question. "So, wait, what's different compared the boosted gear?"

"While your boosted gear is based on leveling up your power for every ten seconds until it reaches its max, his on the other hand is based on both defensive and offensive attacks through ways of unique magic. In other words, since the boosted gear relies on one tactic, the Prodigy Gear merrily relies on two." Akeno adds.

"So... does that mean Richie is powerful than Issei? Added Asia.

"Technically speaking, yes." Akeno concurred. Issei felt a bit down upon hearing that last statement, but eventually perked up slightly when Akeno began her follow up. "But, just because he has two different tactics, that doesn't mean he's powerful yet, Asia."

"That explains why I was so weak after saving Asia." Richie mentioned. "I collapsed moments later. My whole body felt like it wanted to shut itself down."

"You're right on point sweet face." Akeno giggled. "I assumed you must've used your Prodigy Gear before. Since it was your first time using it, your body isn't quite adjusted to it. Also, during my little investigation, this news article just came up from the underworld. It reads: _The "formerly guarded" tomb of the legendary Indigo Dragon Empress was recently grave robbed in a matter of two days inside the sacred dragonic cemetery. Two dragonic guards were found dead via throat slash by mysterious bandit(s). A Rumor was once said that the Indigo Dragon Empress withheld three ancient relics inside her final resting place. One amulet, one sword, and one shield. The tomb was completely collapsed in a pile of rubble with the sarcophagus of the Dragon Empress remaining intact and surprisingly undamaged. No eyewitnesses were present on that scene but many people would describe this as devastating. No arrests was made long after the robbery._

 _"The sword. The amulet!"_ Richie recalls to the moment Freed and the rest of his family revealed that they were the ones that stole the artifacts. "But I still have the shield." He mentioned looking at his right hand.

"Akeno, did that article mentioned three artifacts that were rumored to be taken?"

"Yes. Why'd you ask?"

"I know who took them."

"Really? Tell us who." She asked.

Before I was sent here in this world, Aeris herself told me that two fallen angels broke inside the tomb to steal both the Welsh Dragon sword and an ever-powerful amulet."

"Hang on. Sent here?" Questioned Issei.

"I'm not from here, because I'm not actually _from_ here. I was summoned. This'll be a little bit difficult for me to explain but...I'm not from this world."

"You're saying that you're what? Some sort of alien?" Issei said.

"Not an alien exactly. I'm human just like you. What I mean to say is that…I was sent here...from a different universe that's greatly like yours. It's just that my world doesn't have devils that actually exist on our world."

The entire club members were in an immediate flabbergasted state, but were also shown with little bit of interest. Rias with a grin was the only one most interested. In her family's history, they've had other people come from other worlds such as pre-existing devils and other creatures, but ordinary human from another world that is identical to hers.

Richie took a deep breath in and out. "I was summoned here to fulfill a duty by Aeris, better known as the Indigo Dragon Empress."

"You're kidding." Kiba gasped. "Please, tell us more."

"Yes Richie, we would really like to know." said Rias. "Why were you summoned here? How did you even get here?"

"Well, I was going to a basketball game on my mom's bike in through severe weather, before all that I was almost been attacked by a bear."

"That must've been terrifying." Asia said. "You poor thing, why would you go through something like that?"

"I asked myself the same question. It was terrifying. I've been practicing for this basketball tournament for so long that I didn't want anything not even severe weather warnings to stop me. Me and my best friend have been practicing for weeks on end. Was it dangerous? Oh yeah it was. Before I was about to be mutilated by a mother bear, I was zapped by lightning until I was sent into this void with nothing but white space. Fortunately, the lightning strike appeared to did no damage on me. I was woken up by a sphere of light. The light turns out to be the spiritual form of Indigo Dragon Empress. She told me to go to this world and recover two of the three ancient artifacts that were taken by a couple of fallen angels.

"Alexandria and Alexavier." Issei said to him.

"Right. And the next thing you know I started going out with this girl, turning out to be Alexandria. She trapped me in her church, then I get killed by her uncle, and somehow I'm brought back to life by Rias." Richie pointed to Rias.

"Was there anything else she told you?" Koneko said.

"Oh, yeah. She told me one more thing before I arrived. Aeris said to find the person who possess the power Red Dragon Emperor. Both he and the user will help guide me to this journey. That "he" is you Issei."

"Me?" Issei pointed to himself.

"Issei, do you remember when you I first met at the arcade? When we shook hands that day, didn't you notice some weird feeling from the both us?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. I saw a freaky, deeky vision of some sort of dark bluish, purple dragon staring across at me."

"Right, the same thing happened to me. Only this time, I saw a red dragon staring at me as well. Issei, you're the one that can help me restore what's right for Aeris. Listen, me getting brought back to life warrant me a second chance. It taught me that I can just do this alone. I get another shot at bringing back the artifacts they took. And if we're going to do it, we're gonna have to do it right! You are all that I've got to bring back both the sword and the amulet. I dont know about you butbi refuse to have Freed and his family take wasn't theirs in order to gain more power then they already have. You're the only one that can help get back to my world. If the Red Dragon Emperor can't help me, then who else can? So, whaddya say?" Richie stands up to extends his hand in front of Issei for a handshake. Issei looks up to Richie. He sees Richie's face as a somewhat desperate cry for help. Issei nods his head in approval before shaking Richie's right and with his left hand firmly.

"Okay. Your story is pretty believable. With all that information Akeno just gave, there's no doubt you're telling the truth. If your mission is really that important, then I say let's do it. I'll find a way to help you somehow in some way get the artifacts back where it belongs. Let's teach those assholes a thing a two when you mess the wrong empress. Then one day once we end this damn thing, we can find a way to get you back home."

Rias and the rest of the club members happily smiled in the new bond forming between the two.

"Who would've guessed that the school's biggest pervert would be the new kid's only hope?" Koneko said in monotone.

"If I may interrupt this, I have just one question to ask" Kiba interjected. "Issei, back at the church when Richie died, what caused you to transform to go on a rampage like that?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It was so freaking' weird. That boosted frenzy or whatever, I got all upset and mad when Richie died, then the next thing you know all this rage sorta just, y'know, came out. It's like I gained a new power that I had no control over whatsoever. Rias, Akeno, do you two know?"

"That certainly is something." Rias said rubbing her chin. She walks towards Richie with another statement. "We'll have to look at this in greater detail later on, but one thing is for sure. Richie, Issei is not the only one that's gonna help you throughout your mission. We as the household of Gremory are on your side. We'll help you find those artifacts along the way. It wont be easy. Beings like them are always dangerous. Us devils have to stick together on a crucial mission like this. So how about it?

"I could really use the extra help. Thank you, Rias." Richie granted with a bow.

"Outstanding. Since you are new here, we know little information about you and your powers. You'll learn on how to use the Prodigy Gear more extensively the more you spend time here in this world. Richie, if you would, please hold up your right hand."

"Like this?" He says holding his right arm straight up in the air.

 _"What's she making him do?"_ Issei thought. _"Oh yeah. I remember."_

"Good. Now, I need you to close your eyes and concentrate. Focus on the strongest thing that comes to your mind."

"Focus on the strongest thing. Okay, here goes" He says shutting his eyes. He deeply concentrates on thinking about strong beings. At first, he didn't get then but then realized that it was to attempt to bring out the Prodigy Gear. "Focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus!" He said to himself.

"That's great! Keep going!" Rias encouraged.

 _"I've done it before, I can do it again! Think about superheroes like Batman or Superman. Hell, even Goku. I got it! I'll use the image of Goku in my mind to my advantage That should spark something up!"_

Richie's face started to turn into a shade of red. Tiny drops of sweat started to drip from the base of his head going downward. "Focus!" he gritted under his teeth until he eventually gave up. He couldn't activate his sacred gear.

"I can't do it. I've done it before. I don't know why but I can't do it." Richie sighed in disappointment.

"It's alright." Rias told him putting one of her hands on his shoulders. "I understand. It's just hard for you, that's all. The time will indeed come when you unlock your Prodigy Gear once more. Now then…since you're officially my new devil servant and as the current second knight of Gremory..."

Black wings suddenly sprang out of Richie's back. The weight shifted downward just a little bit from the reaction. He turns around to his surprise he sees a pair of two large black wings sprouting out from behind him connecting his back. "Gaah, what the heck!" He says before moving his wings on his own for a small bit. "They're real! This is not happening!" muttered himself. Richie turns back around until he saw everyone stood up with their wings sprouted. He fell down landing on his butt. One by one going clockwise all smiled at him. Starting from Koneko, Kiba, Rias, Akeno, Issei, and Asia.

"Isn't this exciting? You're one of us now!" Akeno cheered in a happy mood.

"Welcome to the family. Let's all get along fine. Shall we?" finished Rias with a chuckle.

 ** _That definitely took a while. I really wanted to finish this chapter before the new year started. I've jotted down plenty of notes for new chapters, including the climax of the story. It'll be one wild ride, but it's gonna be worthwhile. I'm hyped up for season 4 of DXD. I hope I can get more chapters done or even the entire fic done by season 4 airing in the summer. Thanks for reading. See ya for 2018!_** **_Part 2 will be uploaded soon._**


	8. Chapter 8: First Night on the Job

**Before reading this chapter, I just want to get some comments out of the way concerning this fic. This is in regards to Justin D, a guest fanfic reader who likes this fic. Justin, thanks for liking this story! For some reason I can't reply to his comment, but this would be the way to clear some points in the comments section. Here's what's going down.**

 **Remember, this whole story takes place** ** _before_** **DXD New. This story does** ** _not_** **take place in the Excalibur arc and is in no relation to any arc from DXD New or DXD Born or to anything in the light novels much further along. Kokabiel is not present nor will he ever be present in this story. I made Richie the knight due to his fast mobility and I think to me it fits very well. Xenovia was never planned to be in this story in the first place. However, I did have plans on her for a possible sequel to the fic. Yes, I have thoughts and notes typed up for a possible sequel, but that doesn't mean it's considered to be worked on. As for the pairings, right now it's just Asia so you'll have to wait and see if there any multiple pairings. I know who Jeanne and Le Fay are in the light novels but remember, this takes place after the first season. Now that I got that outta the way. Let the story begin!**

It was now getting dark. The sky turned into a very darker shade of blue with stars glistening high. The weather was very calm and most of the citizens of the town were now inside of their homes to rest until the start of a brand-new day tomorrow. During the night, both Issei, along with Rias' newest acquisition, Richie, we're riding along a bicycle. Issei's bike to be exact. The bike was fit for two. Issei was in control of the wheel while Richie was riding along the back holding on his shoulder with one hand and holding a navigation device with another. The device was given by Akeno before the two headed outside. The look of it had two screens. One on the top and on the bottom. The top screen was used as a map while the bottom was used how many deliveries were made and was used to have the user pinpoint and choose to make his or her own deliveries. It's used to keep track of how many deliveries were successful with certain pinpoints to know where to make those deliveries.

"Okay, that's done. Which one's next?" Issei asked Richie from behind.

Richie looks over his map. "Next one should be about...0.8 miles northbound from where we are."

"Crap! Almost another mile?" Issei exclaimed.

"C'mon, we're practically halfway there. The sooner we get things done, the better for us to kill some spare time. Besides, Rias said she has something in stored for me to do next when we're done."

"Man! It feels like we've been at it for so many hours. So, it's that way down that hill?"

"That's what the GPS says. Yep, straight on." Richie reads.

"Hold on tight." He informed Richie. The indigo dragon warrior held on tight onto Issei's shoulders before gliding down a hill with an insane amount of momentum.

 ***HOURS EARLIER***

Akeno used her measuring tape to document more on Richie's body sizes. From his front torso to his feet. He stands still as Akeno writes down the necessary measurements she needs.

"Let's see. Shirt size in a large. Size 11 shoes. Waist size at around 32 inches." she wrote.

"What's all this for?" he asked.

"For you to be fitted for your school uniform, silly boy. You start going with us tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot Rias told me about school."

Issei was informed that he would be joined with Richie later. He had to wait for him outside until Rias was finished discussing with him.

"Now that you're one of us, you should know a few things before heading out. Devils grant power to human for an agreed price known as a pact. In the old days, humans draw magic circles to summon us. To save time to compensate this issue, we now make deliveries to those who need us to better have the convenience. Since you're new, you'll be tagging along with Issei throughout your first assignment. You'll get to learn first hands on what it takes to be a devil. I did however had plans on having you do this alone, but because you're from a different world, I'm having you stick with a buddy for now, at least until you're familiar with this town."

 _"_ _Okay, that sounds easy enough."_ he thought while packing the small bulks of leaflets in the bag.

"Don't think that it's going to be easy. It takes time and patience to obtain a contract." Rias added before laying both her hands on his shoulders from behind him, whispering in the boy's ear. "Should you do well and maybe you'll have servants of your own like me one day."

"Time-out." He said making a t-shaped hand signal. "Did you say I can servants all on my own?"

"Only if you're effort is excellent." She said with a smile.

"Okay, let's break it down. Let's say if my services were well off the charts, then I get my own servants? Just like that?"

"Yes." She happily affirmed.

"And I can have them do whatever, and whenever I want them to. Like make me dinner, clean up, and bring me something like food or other items I may need at any time. Right?"

"Uh-huh."

Richie gave himself a very uptight expression in his face. His mouth opened in happened to imagine what it was like to have his own servants. _"This is gonna be too sweet! I can have people do what I want without lifting a finger!"_ he gasped.

"As long as you do a good job, but it's not all about having servants. Who knows? You'll maybe be higher ranking devil someday." she hints.

 ***HOURS LATER***

 _"_ _A higher-ranking devil, huh. I wonder what kind of perks you get besides being a regular devil."_ He thought _._ "Hey Issei, can I ask you something.?"

"Yeah, Richie?" he replied.

"I just wanna know-what's it like getting a contract?"

"How should I know? I never gotten one."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, it's actually kinda hard as balls to get one to be honest. At least my overall reviews have been pretty good, so besides that there's actually something to enjoy." He says stopping his bike." But when I do get my contracts enough to be a high rank devil soon, I'm gonna be one step closer to become harem king!" he shouted.

Richie raised an eyebrow in question. "Harem King?"

"Yeah. When I become harem king, I'm gonna do a lot of things when I'm surrounded by girls. _Very special_ _things,_ if you know what I mean." he chuckled looking behind him. "And hell, who knows? You might someday get girls on your own in one way. Think about it Richie, having girls doing whatever you want, however, at any time, day or night with no limits. I can see it now. Girls with big boobs catering to your every whim as far as the eye could see, Richie my friend! Whaddya think!"

"Hold up. My servants don't have to be just a mix of guys and girls. It can be all ladies with no restrictions!? I'd never thought of it that way." He said with a faint blushing smile holding his chin. _"Holy crap, this guy's a bigger perv than Tyrone! But servants full of sexy ladies would be amazing. If I became a high-ranking devil in the future, the possibilities could be endless!"_ He thought _._ "Then there's no time to waste! Let's get these deliveries done! I say the sooner we get contracts, the better chances we'll have at getting some girls on our laps!"

"That's the spirit! Let's do this! How many more deliveries we got so far?"

"Just thirty more down that block on the right and we're done." Richie pointed.

"Roger." Issei affirmed.

 ***LATER THAT EVENING***

The two boys returned upstairs to the old school building. The rest of the peerage were waiting for them to return after their assignments were over. Rias was quietly sitting down at her desk with Akeno at her right side while everyone else was standing. Suddenly, they heard the door knob turn. The door opened and out came Issei and Richie.

"We're back! Sorry it took a while, but our assignment is finally done. All of the leaflets were delivered just like you ask." Richie told Rias.

"Nice work, you two. Your assignment may be done, but your job isn't quite over just yet." She said. "It's now time for the last phase, getting a contract. Richie, I think you're just about ready."

"R-Really? I'm making a pact? Right here, right now? Are you sure about that?"

"Nervous?" She asks.

"Yeah, a little bit. I mean-I just don't wanna mess this up, y'know."

Rias assured him. "Relax, you'll do fine. However, we do have a bit of an issue. It seems that Kiba and Asia are each double booked with two requests. I need you two to take over one from whichever whom. Richie, this'll be good practice for you."

Richie raises his left hand first. "I'll take Asia's place! If that's okay with you, Issei." he asks.

"It's cool. I'll just take one of Kiba's for tonight." Issei agreed.

"Thank you, Richie. I'm very appreciated for you to cover for me." Asia smiled with a bow.

"Y-You're welcome, Asia." Richie politely responded rubbing his hand behind his head.

Rias stood up from her desk. "Alright, let's get started! Akeno, if you would start us off, please."

"You know I'm always happy to." said Akeno. She walked over to the back of the room with the most space. She spread her arms apart with her eyes close to summon a huge, red, magic circle from beneath her feet. Richie was in awestruck to witness devil magic for the first time.

"Amazing. What is that she's doing?" He asked Rias.

"Summoning a transportation circle. It'll be the fastest way you'll get to your client. Oh, I almost forgot. Before you step in, if I may, hold out your right hand."

He did as he was told and held out his right palm to Rias. "O-Okay?"

The crimson haired girl casted a small, red, circular symbol on the base of his palm with her index finger. "This is a seal. It serves as proof that you represent the house of Gremory. When you get your destination, just stay calm and do as I tell you. You think you're up for it?"

"Wicked." He said softly looking at his right hand. "Wait, so I-I'm going first?! Shouldn't someone with more experience take the wheel on this one? I mean, I am a rookie and I still got a lot to learn from this."

"Come on Richie, you got this!" Issei told him with encouragement. "Remember our talk from earlier? Servants, Richie! Get in the game!"

Richie recalled their conversation beforehand. He took one deep breath in and out. "Alrighty then. I think I'm totally up for this. I'm not scared. Let's do this thing!"

"That's what I love hear. Now, off you go. Make me proud." Rias chimed as Richie walked towards the center of the magic circle.

"You can do it, Richie! I know you can." Asia encouraged him.

 _"_ _Over to Sunset to where I'm from, look out servants, here I come!"_ he rhymed in his head.

Starting from the bottom of his shoes towards the top of his torso, he started to glisten as the transportation circle was getting ready to send him off to his respected client. He was mesmerized by the amount of light emitting from the entire circle. So much so that a light wind began blowing upward to his body. With his head up high, he felt like the whole process was working. He closes his eyes hoping for the best. His entire body immediately gave away a very white shine surrounding him. It was like a car getting ready start and accelerate with great speed. Rias, including the rest of the peerage we're happy to see this go into full swing, but just as soon as the magic circle was getting ready to send him off with a great amount of white light, it suddenly disappeared into small particles of magic dust. Richie was still standing in the exact spot where the magic circle once stood. He was still inside the clubroom. The boy opened his eyes to discover that nothing has happened.

"Uh-oh." muttered Issei.

Richie opened his eyes. Seeing the peerage members and the interior of the clubroom left him puzzled. He wondered why the magic circle didn't send him to the appropriate location.

"What happened?" He questioned. "Did I break circle? Is it because I'm new?"

"No, you didn't break it." Rias replied crossing her arms. "Even newer devils can be sent through transportation circles."

"Looks like Issei and Richie got another thing in common, huh president?" Akeno told Rias.

Issei heard what Akeno said and immediately sweat dropped with his head down by the embarrassment. He too couldn't go to the client's destination through a magic circle. Richie also heard Akeno's statement.

"You're saying Issei can't go through magic circles either?" Richie asked.

"Don't silly. He can go through as long as someone is in control the transportation. He just can't do it by himself, that's all." Akeno giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. Ha ha ha. Very funny. Why not make fun of Issei instead? How about that?" Issei muttered in upset.

"If I can't go through by myself via magic, then how do I get to my client?"

Rias responded. "Since you can't make the jump, there's only one other way you can get to you client."

"Yeah, like what?"

Moments later, Issei was pedaling his bike as fast as he could possibly could. As the same as delivering the leaflets, Richie sat behind Issei with his pocket gps, only this time his nearest pinpoint was his client. Richie however, wasn't to happy of having to go through manual transportation. Issei wasn't too keen either. He still felt antsy after what Akeno said, but on the brighter side, it was true that he's not the only one that can't make the jump to his client. Issei felt at least a little bit glad not being the lone one. He had to drop off Richie first then go to his own client.

 _"_ _Whoever heard of a devil riding along bicycle to get a contract?! This sucks! The one time I get to experience demonic magic and already I can't go through as something simple as a transportation circle."_ Richie sighed. _"But on the plus side, at least I'm not alone. Rias said it's because I have low devil energy, the circle won't work on anyone that much power. From now on, I'm gonna make sure I get stronger. The stronger I get, the more energy I have. The more energy I have, the better chances of fighting Alexandria faster."_

Richie looks down at his gps to figure out where his current location is. With Issei's speedy pedaling, the red moving dot was getting faster and closer until the screen read, "You've Arrived!".

"Issei, stop!" He exclaimed. Issei heard Richie to immediately hit the brakes on his bikes to stop abruptly in front of a house.

"Is this the place?" Issei said.

"Yep, house number 154. Dead on." Richie replied as soon as he stepped off behind Issei.

"Well, I'm off to make a pact. Wish me luck. If there's any trouble, you have my phone number. You got this."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be fine."

"Well, okay. I'll see you later." Issei replied before pedaling off to his client until Richie...

"ISSEI, WAIT!" Richie shouted.

"What is it? Did you forget something?"

"I... never gotten the chance to thank you for saving my life last night." Richie expressed his gratitude.

"Oh, uh, you're welcome. It's no big deal, really."

"It _is_ a big deal. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be standing here talking to you now. My whole mission would've been a bust if you and your friends didn't help me. So, I wanna say, thank you. I should also thank Rias too for doing the same. She's a life saver too y'know, literally."

Issei heard his words very carefully. He was right. If he hadn't come to Rias with that information or didn't notice the spot on his cell phone, Richie would've died. He also thought about the time Rias saved him from his encounter with Raynare when she killed him. Twice. He then flashes back to the moment he transformed into that weird half dragon half human form from that fight. Where did all that power come from? Issei stood with his head down with a blank stare just thinking before Richie notice something.

"Helloooo. Earth to Issei." Richie said waving his hand in front of his face along with multiple snapping of the fingers.

"Huh. What. Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I just spaced out for a moment. Anyways, you're welcome, Richie." He said accepting his gratitude. "I gotta go. I don't wanna be late. Just call me if there's trouble!" He shouted as he pedaled out to his client.

"What's going on with him? Who knows? But what I do know is I better go in there make this pact. Let's get it!" He exclaimed before ringing the doorbell.

When the doorbell rang, he heard loud footsteps coming from within the house as if someone inside was expecting somebody. He then heard the door knob turn until the door opened.

"Thank God! Asia, I'm so glad you could make...wait a minute. You're not Asia." a black-haired boy said.

"No, I'm actually not. I'm from the Gremory house. Asia was a bit overbooked, so I had to take over one of her spots and here I am."

"I'm sorry, but Asia has to be the one to babysit my little brother while I'm away to see my girlfriend. I summoned her, not you. Look, you're kinda wasting my time. Sorry, nothing personal really." the black-haired boy said before shutting the door, but Richie on the other hand blocked the end doorway with his foot.

"Please! What if _I_ can babysit your brother or anything, something, really?!"

"Hmmmmmm, you do sound pretty desperate. My brother is gonna be totally batshit upset that Asia's not coming. But if you can handle my brother like you said you would, why not? Get inside.

"Whew. Thank You." Richie sighed of relief as he entered this household. Richie and his client were walking upstairs towards the entrance of the little brother's bedroom. While climbing the stairs, they began to introduce to one another.

"By the way, I didn't get your name, devil. What is it?"

"My name is Richie. Richie Louisè." He introduced. "And you are?"

"Keinichi Yamamoto. But everyone calls me Kei for short. Your name sounds so weird. You must be a foreigner or something." Keinichi answered as they arrived at the top. "Anyway, let's get this out of the way. If you must know, my mom had to put me in charge while she's away with her boyfriend but the thing, is my girlfriend called and says needs me at her house to spends some alone time. Plus, I'm grounded. I need you to babysit my brother for three hours until I come back.

"So, you hired a devil to babysit your brother, even though your mom told you to in the first place and knowing well if it all crumbles down you're going to be grounded until you graduate high school."

"That's the plan! By the way, have you ever taken care of kids before? Just asking."

"I've looked after my two cousins twice every month before. It was chaos at first three months, but after that things were a lot cooler later."

"Great! A guy with expertise. Now, stay outside while I tell my brother." Kei said opening his brother's door. "Ren! You got a minute!"

"Hey, didn't people ever tell you to knock!?" Ren shouted while relaxing in his bed playing his portable video game wearing his red shirt, and khaki shorts with his socks on. "What do you want?" the white-haired boy said.

"Look, I'm going out to run an errand. I won't be back in about a few hours, so I hired a babysitter for you til' I get back."

"No way! Mom says you were supposed to watch me! If you leave, I'm telling her right now that you left me in the house by myself." Ren exclaimed picking up his cell phone.

"Okay, but if you do that, then I guess that I'll have to tell Mom that _you_ were the one that ate a mom's special musubi today and you know how much mom can't live without it."

"But it was _you_ that ate the musubi!"

"I know. Wanna bet that I can beat you before you reach mom?" Keinichi said with a devilish smile with his hand on getting ready to speed dial his mom on his cell phone.

"Okay, fine. You win. I won't tell Mom."

"Good. You know Asia, right? The girl I would told you that she would be babysitting today.

"Yeah, the cute girl you showed me a photo of. What about her?"

"That's the problem. She's overbooked so she won't be babysitting you tonight."

"WHAT!" Ren shouted.

"But cheer up. I got a new babysitter for ya. Richie, you can come in now!" Kei exclaimed. Richie entered inside Ren's room. "Ren, this is Richie. He's gonna be babysitting you til' I get back."

Ren sat up to get out of his bed. Richie walked closer to give the boy a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Ren. I hope we can be good friends tonight.

"Looks like you too are getting along just fine. I'm out. Information is on the refrigerator. Should anything happen my number is on there as well. His bedtime is ten o' clock. And make sure he doesn't have sugar. Good luck, Richie! Your gonna need it!" Kei yelled running downstairs and out the door locking behind him.

"Well, Ren it's about 8 o'clock now so why don't we just…"

"Listen...to me! You're new here so I'm gonna lay some ground rules. I do what I want, watch what I see, and eat what I eat, _whenever_ I want. This is my house. Got it?!" Ren pointed as he walked out his bedroom sliding down the banister to the living room.

"Hey Ren! Don't be sliding down the banister like that!" Richie shouted. Oh God, I'm sounding like my mom. And it feels kind of great. Okay. This kid _is_ a bit of a brat. Smart mouth at best, but it's cool. I've handled worse. How bad it could get?

 ***1 HOUR LATER***

The first floor of the house was a complete mess. Ren's stuff was everywhere. Toys, shoes, plates where he had eaten, and all sorts of other stuff were all over the living room area. In past couple of hours, Ren was on a frenzy. He ate cookies and other sweets from the kitchen that he wasn't supposed to. He was in a total sugar rush. Bouncing in and out from couches, running up and down the stairs, including sliding down the stairs too many times. All seems a lot of fun too him until he eventually crashed on the couch.

"Finally. He crashed." He said with a sigh of relief. "The last thing I need is another damn sugar rush. Cookies, sweets, candy, and anything sugar related are stored to higher ground so there's no way for him to get all coked up like that. Now the only one thing left to do is...cleaning up" he said picking up a broom.

In a span of an hour, Richie was almost done cleaning the whole lower floor of the house. Going down the nitty gritty of cleaning every orphis that Ren had laid his hands on or even marked. From the living room, to the stairs, and to the kitchen he managed to get everything all tidy and clean before Ren could make things worse in risk of losing his contract. In the kitchen, Richie was just about done washing the two last two dishes Ren ate from.

"There." He said putting the plate and glass away in the cabinet. "I don't know how much I can handle all this. Hell, my cousins don't act like this and they're the same age as him. They do nothing but eat and play video games til it's bedtime. Kei should be back from his girlfriend's house for not much longer. Just hope the mom doesn't come back so soon. Maybe I should just rest my eyes for a bit, til Kei comes back. I'll rest in front of Ren so that way I'm close to him." He said with a little yawn.

Richie closed his eyes to take a small snooze after all the work he had done. Washing the dishes, cleaning up messes, keeping an eye on Ren the whole night. A babysitter deserves some rest after all the mayhem. With thirty minutes passed, Richie got up to stretch and opened his eyes to awake from his snooze.

"Mmmhmmm, that was a good snooze if I say so myself." He said with a stretch. He then turns his eyes toward the couch that Ren was resting. Unfortunately, Ren wasn't sleeping on the couch.

"Ren? Ren, where'd you go?" Richie wondered. "You better not be making a mess in the kitchen! I just cleaned it after that rush you had! Ren?!"

Richie looked inside the kitchen. Ren was not sitting down at the dining table. He checked the inside of the cupboard to see if he was playing a joke or hide and seek. He was not inside or anywhere inside the kitchen.

"He probably went to bed. I'd better go check. Better for him to to be in bed anyway." He said running upstairs.

Up the stairs he went to reach Ren's bedroom door. He turns the doorknob peek inside Ren's bedroom. Presumably, the lights would be on if Ren would be inside the whole time but hadn't went to bed yet and it would be off if he'd went. The lights were on, but Ren was nowhere to be found.

"He's not in his room. Okay, I'd better check-everywhere!" He assured himself.

Richie decided to check inside the mother's bedroom. He opened the door to see the mother's bed neatly made. It hadn't been touched since. The boy went inside just in case. The bathroom, the closet, under the bed. Nowhere.

He shouted his name in the room multiple times, searching high and low. "Ren! Ren, this is no time for games! I mean it Ren! Where are you!?

Richie checked the main bathroom. He checked inside the tub. Nothing. Inside the sink cabinet, nothing. There was another door presumably the guest room. He checked there inside and out. Still no Ren. He decided to go back downstairs to double check to find him. He rushed and rushed desperately to find the little white-haired boy. He looked inside the garage. The boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Crap! If I hadn't taken that stupid nap, none of this wouldn't have happened. Kei is going to kill me if he finds out I lost Ren!" He worried pacing back and forth getting ready to freak out. He looked straight at the front door and noticed something odd. The doorknob was in the unlocked position."

 _"_ _Why is this door knob in the front unlocked? I could've sworn Kei locked it behind himself on the way out. Unless...Ren must've went outside!"_ He exclaimed in his mind.

Richie opened the door to look outside if Ren had been outside. He wasn't in front of the house. The chances of him being inside the house were slim to none. He rushed back inside the house to desperately find a flashlight. His first guess was in the kitchen drawer. Sure enough, he was right. The first drawer he pulled, out contained a good sized, yet bright LED flashlight. He exited the house to search for Ren. Richie searched behind the backyard. The backyard was nothing but a small swing set and a big tree. He checked around the entire backyard. Ren was not there.

Richie stood back in front of the house flashing his light back and forth on the sides of the street. "Looks like I have no choice. I have to search the entire street til' Kei gets back. If I call Kei now, he'll go ballistic. Not calling him would be even worse. Screw it! Contract or no contract, it was my responsibility to take care of him. Let's see, his cell number should be on my phone last, I check. Found it!" He exclaimed.

Just before he could hit the green call button, he heard a faint noise. The noise sounded like it was coming right side of the street. At first, he thought it sounded like a cat meowing in the distance, but as he listens closely he could hear the faint sound a little clearly.

"That noise. It sounds like a someone is...crying? REN!" He gasped.

Richie with full speed ran toward the right side of the street to flow the sound of the crying voice. He hoped he finally found Ren after all that time spent searching for him. He didn't care about anything else but the responsibility and safety of Kei's little brother. Richie ran and ran until he saw a small child with white hair sitting in the middle of a small intersecting street.

"Help me! Big brother! Richie! Where are you!" the child sobbed.

Richie raced toward the kid. With a great sigh of relief, he finally found Ren sitting on his knees crying with his face covered up.

"Ren! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! You're in a lot of trouble for what you've gotten yourself into! You had me worried sick, what's wrong with you? Anyway, more importantly, thank goodness, you're alright. Now come on, let's go home before your brother gets back."

He reached out with his right hand to help pick up the child back on his feet. The child quickly turned his head. His face made a very devious grin wearing cross earrings on both sides of his ears. Yellow eyes were revealed in front of Richie. The kid quickly grabbed a hold of Richie's right arm thereby holding it very tightly. So tight Richie couldn't get him off.

"What the-you're not Ren! Hey! Let me go!" Richie exclaimed.

"Finally! You're mine!" the child said in a much deeper feminine voice.

Before he knew it a cyclone of black feather swirled around Richie and the kid. As the feathers grown bigger and blacker, the kid grew in size. The black feathers disappeared until it was revealed to be…

"Alexandria!" Richie yelled.

"The one and only." She replied. "It's been a while. Hasn't it? I'd thought I'd never catch up to you!" she said still hoping to Richie very tightly.

"This whole thing was an ambush? Why the hell were you dressed as Ren?!"

"Oh, so is that what the kid's name was!? If you're so curious, why don't you ask him yourself!" Alexandria exclaimed throwing Richie toward a big tree near the street corner.

Richie slid down behind the tree feeling the force of impact from that throw Alexandria executed. He fell on his side until he saw a pair of sneakers wrapped together with rope, hidden inside a bush.

"What the…?" He questioned.

He opened the bush to reveal the real Ren all tied up and gagged. His hands were tied behind his back along with a piece of clothing wrapped tightly inside and around his mouth. Fortunately, he was still awake from the rope bondage received from. Ren squirmed, wriggled, and shout with all his might to try and free himself out.

"Ren! Don't move! I'm gonna get you outta here!" Richie told Ren.

Richie attempted to untie Ren from the back. When he touched the rope, he immediately felt a severe burning sensation from touching it.

"AGHHH! My hands! Why is this rope so burning hot!"

"Oh yeah, those ropes I used were enchanted through series of holy energy. Any devil should know that touching anything made from pure light should feel a very uncomfortable, severe burning sensation. Wait a sec, you're a devil now aren't you? Oh, this night just keeps getting better and better!" she says with a slasher grin.

"Then, how come Ren isn't burned by it?" He asked blowing his hand to cool off.

"I just told you. He isn't a devil like you so the effects of fallen angel magic don't harm to those who are human."

"How did you know I was coming this way?"

"I've been following you." she says coming closer toward him.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Richie yelled. He held his right arm in front of him. He attempted to defend himself with the Prodigy Gear, but it seems that it's not awakening yet.

"And do what! Use that shitty ass little shield the Indigo Dragon Empress gave you. You're pulling my leg. Such a shame. We could've rekindled our whole relationship. Oh well, it's time for you to die, anyway." Alexandria said with a devious smile.

Time was running out. Richie had to think about something to either evade from Alexandria or block her upcoming attack. He slapped the top of his hand on repeat in an attempt to awake the Prodigy Gear. "Come on. Please work. Unlock!? Go!? Activate!? Aeris!?"

Alexandria walked casually closer and closer to Richie as she summoned a bow and arrow made from holy energy from both her hands. She stopped dead in her tracks to get ready to shoot She aimed the bow straight at his heart and pulled back on the drawstring.

 _"_ _I guess this is it. I'm gonna die."_ Richie thought standing scared stiff less.

As soon as Alexandria was going to release her drawstring. She hears something in the distance on her right. A loud whizzing noise from afar downhill. The closer the noise came, the louder it got. The noise came closer when it was revealed to be a man riding on a bicycle. The bike going at breakneck speed without any warning, hit Alexandria so hard that she rolled all the way to the opposite direction. The light bow and arrow quickly disappeared as soon as it landed on the ground. The man was launched out of his bike and rolled toward a few feet away from both Richie and Ren. Richie ducked for cover. He ran across to the man to the man that flew out of his bike. That man turned out to be Issei.

"Agh! Crap! Issei exclaimed getting up rubbing his head.

"Issei?" He called.

"Richie?" Issei was struggling to get up.

"Crap dude, let me help you up!"

Richie reached out his right arm to help Issei up from his right hand. "Agh! Easy now." He said.

"I got ya. You took a nasty fall back there. How'd you know I was in trouble?"

"Thanks. I didn't. I couldn't control the brakes on my bike so I went too fast going downhill. I think my brakes might be shot."

Alexandria soon got up after the major collision with Issei's bike. She started rubbing her head to get some sort of relief, but the relief caused minor damage to her head than expected. The hit caused her to bleed from the side of her forehead. She opens her eyes to see blood showing on the skin of her hand. Blood was dripping down from her head to her cheek. Upon instant thought, she sees the culprit that done the damage to her. The emotions in her were infuriated with a great deal of boiling rage. Because of this, she spread out her black wings in a great deal of anger followed by an inflamed yell. She instantaneously flew toward the standing Red Dragon Emperor with an insane amount of speed, causing herself to slam Issei into a light pole with her right arm to choke him out.

"Issei!" yelled Richie.

"You got a lot of fucking nerve, you know that!" Alexandria gritted under her teeth. "To think, as pathetic as you, can take me out? I don't think so, prick!"

Issei struggle to escape the clutches of the fallen angel by using both hands. He quickly summons his Boosted Gear with his left arm. Alexandria charges in for the punch and quickly swings in to complete the hit. The hit resulted in a fail as Issei blocked it with to Boosted Gear.

 ***BOOST!***

Issei quickly gained more power from his sacred Gear. It was enough to budge out of her hold, but not enough to be free. He was still struggling, but not for long. "Boosted Gear!" He chanted.

* **BOOST!***

The red dragon warrior gained even more power. Little bit enough to break free out of her arm choke hold. Issei grabbed Alexandria by her shirt. With all his might he starts throwing her across the wall from a few feet behind him. The sudden force of the throw cause the fallen angel to break through a brick wall.

"Woah." Richie said to himself being impressed by Issei's power. "What strength."

Richie wasn't the only one impressed by Issei's Boosted Gear. Ren on the other hand witnessed before his eyes the power of Issei's sacred Gear. His eyes had widened with amazement by the sure skill he pulled.

"That ought to teach ya. Asshole.' Issei panted.

He started rubbing his throat with heavy breaths trying to recuperate himself after Alexandria attacked him. He began stepping back almost a a few yards across from Alexandria to get to safety. Richie began to look back and forth to both Issei and Alexandria, but suddenly he starts seeing a glistening flash of purple light coming from the hole of the brick wall. He then realized that Alexandria wasn't down for the count. She still had one more plan up her sleeve. As the dust clouds soon dissipate, Richie sees a clear view of Alexandria with her wings spread out holding her bow and arrow of light.

"ISSEI, WATCH OUT!" Richie yelled.

Issei did not see Alexandria standing back up on her own two feet or even the the light emitting from her bow and arrow until he heard Richie called his name. His head turn toward Richie and heard his warning. He then turned his head toward Alexandria through the wall, with her bow and arrow all set up. Issei quickly reacted with a gasp. He recalls the exact moment he saved Asia at the church. When he saved her, it was all thanks to the Prodigy Gear. Earlier, he couldn't awaken the Prodigy Gear from before in the ambush. But the question is, would it work _this_ time? The boy made had made decision. A decision of sacrifice. Richie ran as fast as he possibly could with an immense amount of speed in an aim to save Issei.

 _"_ _Please. I can't let this happen. I'm all out of options!_ He thought all over to himself with tears starting to develop in his eyes. Richie jumped out feets away from Issei's right side. He screamed from the top of his lungs with a mighty yell.

"PRODIGYYYYYYYY!"

By the time Richie jumped up in front of Issei, Alexandria released her light arrow. Richie's top right hand started to shine a bright cyan light. That light eventually turned itself into a cyan embedded jewel which would later evolve entirely into the familiar indigo colored, dragon gauntlet with orange spikes gutting out from the bottom. All this together, his newly adapted devil wings eventually sprung out of his back. The Prodigy Gear had now been officially unleashed. The magic indigo shield appears from right out of the center cyan embezzled jewel. Richie landed on the ground, shoulder first, in front Issei. Alexandria's light arrow was precisely and immediately blocked by the magic shield. However, the arrow didn't fall on the ground as it impacted on the shield nor was it stuck on like any normal arrow would. It ricocheted on to the center shield, having the arrow bounce back to the same trajectory where Alexandria fired. Soon after, the fast arrow landed on the inside of her left shoulder. She screamed a ferociously in a great deal of pain of having that light arrow pierce a few inches through her upper body. If she were a devil, she would've had the same burning sensation as Richie but twenty times worse. The pain she felt was more so of a sharp, stinging sensation by any ordinary human made arrow. Both boys were indeed safe for now. Issei on the other hand, was perplexed by the power he saw in Richie. Using his shield from the Prodigy Gear to defend and deflect an attack. Finally, the shield ultimately dissipated from Richie's sacred gear, but Richie did not pass out like last time. The boy was still up and on alert. Issei and Richie soon bare witness the look of the Prodigy Gear.

"Woah. Is that the—" Issei said.

"Prodigy Gear." Richie finished for him.

"No way!

Issei, with his boosted gear still active, does a little side by side comparison to Richie's Prodigy Gear.

"My Boosted Gear. I-It's exactly the same as your Prodigy Gear. Ddraig and Aeris...they're really both related." Issei convinced himself in a mystified way before turning to Richie. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Just a bit banged up from that landing. I should ask the same way about you."

Suddenly, the both hear a loud screeching roar from the hole on the brick wall. Alexandria rejuvenated herself with the arrow still attached inside herself. She pulled the arrow out of herself in an infatic deal of animosity as if the arrow was nothing. Blood was coming out the recently made wound.

"I'm not finished with you two!" Alexandria yelled. She summons a huge light arrow from her right hand, directly aiming the arrow at the two devils. Issei and Richie ultimately stood up in front of Alexandria. The two still have the enough energy to fight her off. They hilted their active sacred gears in front of each other, balling their fists as they get ready. Richie's shield also magically appears with a will of determination showing on his face.

"I've got your back, whenever you're ready." Richie told Issei.

"Same here." Issei responded.

 ** _*RIIIIIIING*_** Alexandria heard her cell phone's ringer go off. She looks at the caller I.D. to see his brother's name on the screen.

"WHAT! I'M VERY BUSY!" she hollered.

"Slight change of plans. Uncle wants you back. ASAP!" Alexavier tells her.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CHANGE OF PLANS!? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?! I'M _THIS_ CLOSE TO ANIALITING THESE TWO!" She pointed.

Issei looks to Richie with a confused look on his face. "She stopped her attack to take a phone call?" he whispered.

"I don't know. But still, stay on your toes. She paused her attack for something. She could pull anything at any moment."

"Right!" Issei agreed.

"Bail out now! That's his order!" Alexavier shouted.

"You're kidding!? Fine! I'll be on my way, dammit!" She shouted back at her phone, closing it back in anger. She then pointed her finger at the two devils. "This isn't over you little pieces of shit! The next time I get my hands on you, that shield and the all its hidden power coursing through your sacred gear _will_ be ours. That goes for you too, Issei Hyoudou! Our plan will succeed! The race of the fallen angels will prevail in a new world order of war!"

Alexandria spread out her big black wings once more. She launched herself up towards the dark sky with intense speed, ultimately disappearing as black feathers rain down on top of Richie and Issei.

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Richie muttered angrily. His devil wings later then reverted back into his body.

"A new world order? What'd she mean by that?"

Richie realized that he didn't tell Issei or even the rest of the group on why Freed wanted to have the other relics in the first place.

" _Oh crap! I forgot to tell them why! I think I better tell them right now._ " he thought. "Issei, there's something you should know more all about this. I'm here because-"

The two hear a loud muffling and screaming noise. Richie knew who was making that noise.

"Ren! Issei, c'mon and help me!" He exclaimed. Issei followed Richie to the bushes next to the tree. Issei sees a person wriggling around inside the bushes. He helps Richie pull him out of there still tied up with ropes that still contained holy magic within.

"Help me untie him. But don't touch the rope!"

"Why. What's the matter?"

"Alexandria said used some sort of holy magic to that burns every time a devil touches it. We have to use a tool or something to cut these off." Richie said.

Issei realized he had something in his pocket that could untie Ren. He reached down in his right pocket to pull out one small tool.

"What about this swiss-army knife?"

"That could work. It wouldn't hurt to try. Give it here." Richie asked.

Issei handed over the swiss army to Richie to save Ren out of Alexandria's clutches. Richie opens the first knife from the small tool. He proceeds to use the knife to cut the ropes that were bounded on his feet. He tries to avoid touching there ropes to prevent from burning himself. Upon the first attempt, he sees the knife going through the rope. Twines of rope began to break off, but the more he cut through, the tougher it would be. With a sheer of force, he cuts through harder and harder until…

 ***SNAP***

The ropes from the back of Ren's feet were finally released. Richie soon after began to cut through more of the ropes where his hands were also bounded.

 ***SNAP***

He could easily move again now that his arms and hands were free. Ren, with no hesitation, began hugging Richie while sobbing in tears running down his face. "Richie! Thank you for saving me! I'm sorry! I promise, I'll never go off on my own like that, never. Don't tell my brother about any of this. Please, Richie!" Ren wailed and sobbed.

"Ren. It's okay. I've got you. You're safe with me now. Everything's fine." Richie comforted him. "Did that white-haired girl hurt you?"

"No. She kidnapped me up while I was outside. Then tied me up and threw me in the bushes. She said if I scream or do anything, she'll kill my whole family."

After hearing that, Richie squeezed his left hand to form a fist. He was angry after hearing that threat. Squeezing his hand so hard that his palm began to show red marks where his nails pressed against. He could still feel the feel the first degree burn on his left hand from touching the light ropes from earlier. Some marks were also bleeding. Issei looking down overheard what Ren said. He himself was also mad, gritting his teeth.

"Woah! Richie, what's that thing on your right arm?" Ren asked.

" _Oh crap! The Prodigy Gear. How do I turn it off? Okay, don't panic. I'll just make some stuff up. Little kids will believe almost anything, right?"_ He thought. "Oh, this thing? It's a guard for my arm. Whenever I'm going I wear it just wear it to make me look cool. Ward off the bad guys y'know? Look it's getting late. Your brother is gonna be home any moment. Issei, would you mind walking with us back to Ren's house.

"Oh, sure thing." Issei replied. "Let me get my bike."

Ren climbed up on top of Richie's back to piggyback him to his house. Richie gladly accepts it. Issei walked over toward his bike to see the damage was done on his bike. Unfortunately, the results shown were bad. His handlebars had two jagged dents, a loose brake cable, and a flat front tire.

"Great, it's gonna take me while to get this damn thing fixed. I don't even wanna know how much it's gonna cost to get my handlebars fixed." Issei grunted with disappointment.

"I don't live far from here. My house is up the street. You can use some parts in the kitchen my brother keeps You can fix your bike up from there if you want. It might not be much, but it's something."

"Kick-ass! Thank Ren!"

"No problem." Ren replied followed with a big yawn. He knows and both Issei and Richie know that it was time for bed.

"Sounds like someone sleepy. Let's go so you can hop to bed." Richie said to Ren.

And so, all three went on back to Ren's house. With the bike suffering from minor damages, Issei had to walk his bike beside him as Richie carries Ren on his back. Ren's eyes began to get a little heavy, resting his head on Richie's back shoulder. Minutes later, they all made it back to the front of the house. Richie enters first to see if the brother made it home. He tells Issei to wait outside while he checks. He lays Ren onto the couch for a short while to go upstairs. He knocks on the door of Ren and Kei's room. Nobody answered. Richie entered in with a sigh of relief with no Kei in sight. To be on the safe side, he also checked inside their mom's bedroom to see she made it inside. Nobody was their also.

 ***BZZZZZ***

A vibrating sensation was felt up on inside his right pocket. It was his cell phone containing a text message from Kei. The message read that Kei would be coming back home in about 30 minutes. He ran back downstairs to get Ren by carrying him in front instead on his back this time. Richie opens back the door to let Issei in.

"Okay, the coast is clear. You can come in." Richie said allowing Issei in the house. "His brother is coming back in about thirty minutes. I don't have time to keep you in here for long. Last I checked when I was cleaning, there was a box of hex screws and some duct tape somewhere in one of the kitchen drawers. That should fix your brake cable and your front tire. I also found a bike pump upstairs in Kei and Ren's room. I'll bring it down to you as soon as I'm done putting Ren to bed."

"Alright. I'll go look." said Issei.

Issei goes toward the kitchen straight ahead to find the right parts to fix his bike. He looks inside the first drawer. No tools. Then the second drawer. No tools either. With the third time being the charm, he looks inside the third drawer. To much succession he finds a roll of duct tape and a box of different sized hex screws.

"Perfect. Now to fix my bike." He said walking back outside before shutting the door behind him.

Issei moves his bike in front of the porch light to get a better inspection on his bicycle. Since he can do anything about the handle bars, the only problem he focused were his tire and brake cable.

Back inside the house, Richie finished putting on Ren's pajamas for the night. Ren was so tired that he didn't want to put them by himself. Richie did not mind at all. He does this with his cousins all the time when they were ready for bed. Richie then placed Ren inside the covers of his bed. The little boy later went to sleep without any hesitation or fuss about it.

"Welp. Good night, Ren." he quietly said rubbing his hair gently. Richie grabbed the bike pump for out of the room to give to who was fixing his bike outside. He runs back downstairs to give Issei the bike pump. Issei hears a door open. Without looking, he knows it was Richie.

"Here's the bike pump, Issei." Richie lended him.

"Thanks. The brake cable and tires are ready to go. I just need to give this thing some air and we're done." Issei said beginning to pump his bike. "When your client gets back, we can head back at the clubroom."

"Yeah-Issei, about what happened earlier-"

"I know. I finally got a chance to see your sacred gear live and up close. I can't believe my Boosted Gear and your Prodigy Gear look practically the same. When Akeno said your power was based on offensive attacks, she wasn't kidding. So, all you have is just a shield?"

"Uh-huh. About what Akeno said earlier. That I had some type of magic within this thing. Alexandria mentioned it too during the ambush."

"She said something about being hidden inside you."

"Yeah. I've got this weird feeling that it's not just the shield they're after. Or even the Prodigy Gear. Rias and Akeno might seem to know more about this type of magic than we do."

"I'd say go for it. If anybody knows more about magic spells and stuff, it's them. Maybe even Asia knows it too. Who knows? There! All filled." Issei finished pumping his bike tire.

"Yeah. You might be right. Speaking about the shield, there's something you oughta know about why Freed and his crew were after the three artifacts in the first place. The real reason they're after my both my Prodigy Gear and the shield is that their trying to-"

 ***BZZZZZ***

Richie once again was interrupted. He felt a familiar buzzing vibration back inside his pocket. He knew that his phone was going off. He opened the phone to see a new text message from Kei.

 _"_ _Richie, I'm actually coming back home sooner after all. I'll see you in about five minutes. -Kei."_

"What! This soon!?"

"What's the matter?" asked Issei.

"Kei is coming home in five minutes! You gotta get outta here. I gotta figure out how to get rid of this thing!" Kei exclaimed waiving his Prodigy Gear up and down forcely. Issei soon stopped him.

"Richie, look. Just calm the fuck down. I'm sure there's a way. Let's see." Issei started to wonder with his hands on his chin. "When I released my boosted gear for the first time, it usually turns itself off. For you, it may be different. Try to focus as much as you can on turning it off. Relax. Concentrate. Think." He tells him.

"OK, here goes." Richie understood. He shuts his eyes to try and relax himself. Concentrating on reverting the Prodigy Gear back to his normal right arm once more. "Alright. Focus. Relax. Concentrate."

His right arm where the Prodigy Gear was present, slowly started to glow a bright indigo color. In a matter of seconds, it soon disappeared back to his original right arm. Richie felt a cool breeze on his arm. His Prodigy Gear was gone.

"Issei, it's gone! You were right. It worked! Oh, I thought I'd never see this thing again." He said kissing his right arm many times. Issei on the other hand gave him a weird glare directly. "Oh, how I wished you hadn't seen that. Look, Kei will be here in about a few minutes. I suggest you go a few houses down the way we came and stay there til I get my contract. If he finds out I invited you, he'll seem suspicious."

"Good Idea. I'll see you on the other side." Issei told Richie as he starts to walk beside his bike. And Richie."

"Yeah?"

"Good luck." Issei said with a thumbs up.

"Thanks." Richie replied with a thumbs up back at him.

When Issei walked just a few houses down, Richie went back inside the house. He then sat down to relax on the couch his mind after everything that had happened. Before he could get a couple of minutes of peace, he hears the door knob turning immediately sitting back up. The door opens to reveal Kei with tons of pink kiss marks all over his face.

"Kei, welcome back home." Richie said getting up from the couch as he walked to Kei. As he approached Kei, he was surprised to see a bunch of kiss marks all on his face. "I see that you had a great time with your girlfriend."

"Richie, you've no idea the night I had tonight." Kei said.

 _"_ _Tell me about it."_ He thought rolling his eyes.

"All she wanted was _these_ lips and _this_ face for the whole night." He pointed. "She kept begging for more for every moment I try to get off of her. Just leaving to go get a glass of water for a few and she would practically miss me.

"Talk about quality time." Richie chuckled

"So, how's Ren?"

"Ren...Ren was good. Believe it or not. He's been behaving very well. In fact, he went to bed early with no trouble at all."

"Really? Ren has always been a hassle to get him to go to bed this early in time. It's been like that since he was three. That's very surprising." shocked Kei. "And you managed to do that all by yourself. Plus, I see you did a lot of extra cleaning around here. I'd say you did a great job tonight. In return, I assume you wanted some form of payment. That being my soul, right?"

"Right. If you would just sign here and input your feedback on the back, everything would be all set." Richie told him. He handed Kei the Gremory sealed leaflet and a pen to sign his signature and his feedback on the back. A given indication that he would be agreeing to the terms and conditions of the contract, thereby selling his soul to the Gremory household.

Outside, Issei was still waiting outside just three houses down the right of Kei's house. The time that took for him to wait was about seven minutes.

"Man, what's taking him so long." He complained. From a distance to the left, Issei sees Richie running toward him fast. "Took you long enough."

"Hey, it was my first time getting a contract. Cut me some slack, will ya?" Richie panted in response.

"You could've at least let me know by text that you were-wait, did you say your first contract?"

"Behold! All signed, marked, and ready for Rias!" Richie revealed him the completed leaflet.

"Alright! Kick-ass!" Issei cheered. "Your first day on the job and already you got your first contract! I'm so proud of you-buuut I'm also a bit jealous."

"Let me guess. You didn't get a contract?" Richie said putting his contract in his jacket pocket.

"That would be a big fat no."

"Wow, that sucks." Richie replied. He looked over Issei's facial expression about not getting his contract. Issei may be smiling for him now, but deep-down Richie could sense the feeling of disappointment inside the Red Dragon Warrior. He puts hand on top of his left shoulder.

"Don't worry too much. I'm sure you'll be able get one someday. You and I we'll be one step closer to getting our own servants. Am I right?

"You got that right." Issei responded. "C'mon, let's head back to the clubroom. They're probably waiting for us. Hop on."

Richie soon got on behind Issei, but rather carefully. He didn't want to show any sign of a painful expression from the burns he received on his palms. The boy chose to suck it up until he gets back to the old school building. Issei starts to pedal back toward the direction from where he dropped off Richie back to their base.

 **AT THE CLUBROOM**

Richie was sitting down on the couch next to Asia who was treating his hands with her sacred gear, Twilight Healing. Asia hovered her hands over his palms, concentrating on healing his first degree burns from touching the ropes Ren was tied to. She could see the burns disappearing back into the same skin pigment. Richie could feel a slight tingling sensation in the process from start to finish. The pain was later subsided. As soon as she was done, she did a double check by gently touching and rubbing both his hands to see if Richie still feel any burning sensations. By the time her hands had touched his palms, Richie began to blush red slightly for a brief time. He could feel her soft, smooth hands running from his by the former nun.

"How do your hands feel now?" Asia asked.

"Th-They actually feel better. My burns are all gone now. Your healing powers really come in handy. Thanks so much, Asia!" Richie appreciated.

"Hey, I'm always here to help out." Asia smiled with a chuckle.

"Richie. Issei is telling me that you and him were attacked recently. That _you_ saved his life. Care to explain what happened back there?" Rias asked.

"Okay. While I was babysitting, this kid got loose and ran outside the door. It wasn't until a few moments later that I head crying outside. I thought it was him...but it wasn't. It was Alexandria."

"So, you were ambushed." Rias said.

"Yeah. She kidnapped and bounded Ren by rope. Something she said about being made of holy light."

"No wonder your hands got burned back there. You were trying to untie him." Asia said.

"Uh-huh. How'd you know?" he asked.

"Whenever anything that's made of holy energy or any amount of pure light comes in contact with a devil, it can do a lot of damage more so than you think. The results can be devastating if not fatal, should your let your guard down. Especially, should a fallen angel ever possess a sacred gear of their own." Rias interjected. "Sorry to interrupt. Please continue."

"Anyways, I was close to being killed if it weren't for Issei crashing into her. I couldn't believe the strength he had. He launched her through a wall like a badass it was that awesome. Then after, Alexandria had a clear shot on Issei when she used her light arrow, but somehow my Prodigy Gear awakened so I blocked with my shield." Richie tells them clutching his hand in front of him in a form of a fist until his arm turned itself back into the Prodigy Gear. "Hey, it's back!"

The group came closer to Richie to observe what the Prodigy Gear looked like as soon as it appeared right in front of their eyes. All were astonished by the appearance.

"Incredible! The legendary hidden longinus. The Prodigy Gear that was once inherited by the Indigo Dragon Impress." Kiba said.

"Amazing. It's hard to believe that it looks exactly like Issei's." Stunned Asia.

"Well, I'll be." Impressed Rias. "Congratulations Richie. You've now unlocked your Prodigy Gear. Now you can have the ability to turn it on or turn it back however you wish."

"This is so wicked." Richie quietly said in awe. The Prodigy Gear soon disappeared back to Richie's normal right arm.

"I knew you could do Richie! I'm so proud of you!" Asia cheered.

Richie happily nodded. "Gee. Thanks, Asia"

"So am I. This is a wonderous achievement for you, sweet face." said Akeno.

"Awesome sauce, kid." Koneko congratulated him.

"Well done, Richie. I'm truthfully grateful to see your Prodigy Gear first hand up close. But there's something you need to know. This is crucial. One last minor detail me and Akeno left out about your sacred gear. The shield and the Prodigy Gear aren't just the only things they're after. What Freed Sellzen wants is something even powerful.

"Then, what else are they're after?" He questioned.

"A certain type of power we thought to be extinct, but now it's more dangerous than it was back then. Richie, your Prodigy Gear is embedded with a significant amount of arcane magic."

"Arcane magic?" Richie looked down with his hand on his chin. "Y'know, now that you mentioned it, that _does_ sounds familiar. I feel like I remember it from somewhere."

"It does?" Said Asia

"Yeah, I remember now! My friend Blake used to play this game on his computer like all the time. It was like some open world role playing game he begged me many times to get into. He played as a mage that uses arcane attacks. But, all that is in a video game. It's all fiction. You're telling me this arcane magic is real in this world too?"

"Arcane magic is as real as it gets." Akeno said. "This power was often used by witches, mages, necromancers, wizards, or anyone who wanted to learn magic. Its energy is innately volatile. Welding upon one's self requires intense precision for offense attacks and high tense concentration on defensive maneuvers. Arcane magic became so powerful it was almost bent on total corruption. Those who became corrupted suffered from addiction by the intense power. People young or old who grew addicted experienced withdrawal, which cause their deaths moments later in their lifespan. It became so powerful that any who wanted to learn magic were completely forbidden to do so due to how dangerous it can be."

The facts Akeno told about arcane magic left the Gremory peerage baffled. A dangerous power that almost cause a major impact on the world is now in the hands of the one that wield the Prodigy Gear. That individual happens to be Richie.

"It's still unknown how and why the Indigo Dragon Empress was able to acquire arcane power in the first place. There's little to no researchable information about this. Until now, you're probably last human being in this world to have possess this power, hon." Akeno finished.

 ***FLASHBACK***

 _"_ _The next time I get my hands on you, that shield and the all its hidden power coursing through your sacred gear will be ours."_ said Alexandria.

"Of course! That's why!" Richie exclaimed slamming his fist on his palm.

"Huh? Richie, what's up with you?" Issei asked.

"Issei, earlier during the ambush, Alexandria didn't even bother attacking us."

"Yeah, but what about it?"

"Why did you think she didn't?"

"She stopped after she answered her phone. Which _is_ pretty strange. Why _would_ she suddenly stop to pick up her cell phone in the middle of an attack like that?"

"Right. As soon as she fled, I remember what she said to us. The hidden power in my sacred gear will be theirs. She didn't mention anything about a hidden power much earlier. What if in that call she took someone relayed intel about that? Someone she knew. The only two people she knows are Alexavier…"

"And Freed." Issei finished him.

"Exactly!" Richie concurred.

"No effin' wonder! Those bastards probably knew about all your power before we knew anything about what it could do! That's why she didn't even bother getting us!"

"Now I've seen everything. Freed must've dove deeper about the Indigo Dragon Empress much earlier than we thought. An exorcist like him wanting this type of power can lead to disastrous results at a severe rate. There's no telling what Freed could do now that he has possession of both the amulet and the sword. Especially for an expert on holy magic."

"I do." Richie stood up. "What he's planning to do with both the artifacts is worse. From what Aeris told me before I was sent here, the amulet is more powerful than both the shield and the sword. He and his crew are going to use whatever power the amulet contains to kickstart bigger great war."

"What did you say!?" Rias exclaimed her question.

"If you knew what he was planning, why didn't you come forward with this of information? Kiba asked him.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen." He apologized with his head down. "Everything was just so overwhelming for me in this world. I just became a devil and all that I almost forgot. I was gonna tell Issei about it. Twice even. Please forgive me."

Rias stood up from desk to walk up toward Richie face to face. His head was still down after the apology. "It's alright. Apology accepted." she said picking his head back up. Richie stared back at Rias in her light teal eyes. "From now on, if there's any important information you come across, let me and Akeno first hand. You are my knight after all."

Rias sat on the too her desk with her legs crossed and hands on her chin, possibly thinking of some sort of plan.

"Thank you. So, what do we do now?"

"The only way to do is to think of ways to get the empress' artifacts before they could get you and before he starts something that could tear apart both factions of devils and angels. Since you and Issei carry a sacred gear in relation to the twin dragons, you two are public enemy number one. Especially you, Richie. Possessing that much arcane power in that sacred gear of yours makes you an even bigger target. Which is why Issei won't be the only one to help you. I and the rest of the Gremory family will do what we can to help you get them back."

"You will?" He said in astonishment.

"Just remember this. Now that you have the power to release your sacred gear by yourself combined with the arcane energy within, don't think that you can use it to fight your enemies at your own will. That's disrespectful to the rest of us. Nonetheless, with all the information gathered here, you are not allowed to use your Prodigy Gear unless it's on training grounds or when the proper training is done. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am. I understand." Richie said. As he understood, his facial expression grew into an upset emotion combined with a ton disappointment. "Issei, would you mind walking outside with me. I just need some air that's all."

"Oh. Uh, sure thing." Issei agrees.

"Mind if I come with you?" Asia stood up to ask.

"Thanks, Asia. But I think I just wanna be alone with Issei for a bit. I hope you understand. Oh, I almost forgot. I was supposed to give this to you, miss president."

Richie lays down a brown small piece of paper on Rias' desk. He and Issei leave the room through the double doors. Asia became quite concerned about Richie. She could tell by the emotion given in his face.

"Excuse me, but I have to use the bathroom for a bit." Asia said as she exited the room moments later.

Akeno picks up the piece of paper that Richie place upon. She reads until further inspection that it was a completed contract. Akeno flipped over to see some of the feedback provided on the other side. Richie officially made his first pact.

"Prez, you should take a look at this." Akeno says handing her the leaflet.

Rias retrieved the leaflet from Akeno closely. She reads the entire feedback on the back of the leaflet along with a signature from Richie's client.

"He made his first pact." She said under her breath.

"I feel so bad for him. He made such a great impression on us. The poor thing got his first contract on his first day after everything that's happened to him. Why'd you have to go so hard on him?" Akeno asked.

"I'm not trying to be he hard on him. He needs to know that with great power comes great responsibility. I don't want him to get overestimated of himself. He's got a long way to go before crossing enemy lines. This is a first time for us that a human or anyone from another world, another dimension, traveled on a quest summoned by the empress.

"But not just an empress. An empress that's related to the Red Dragon Emperor, with a lot of power hidden inside him." Akeno added.

"One thing's for sure, he's one of us now. We need to be sure what's best for him from all of us. It's going to be a long road ahead of us. I'm unsure what to expect. To add on to this, I simply won't allow anyone harming my two loyal servants. Not while I'm around."

After washing her hands in the main upstairs restroom of the old school building, Asia exited out of the bathroom. She walks towards the top banister of the stairs to see Issei and Richie walking out the door to have their talk.

 _"_ _I know I shouldn't sneak around to eavesdrop on them."_ she thought to herself. _"But I want to be there to help them."_

Asia paced herself down the stairs until she reached the front door. Issei forgot to close the door completely shut. The front door was cracked slightly an inch from the door hinge which gave Asia had clear access to hear their conversation. Meanwhile, Issei looked behind Richie who was sitting down on the porch with his head resting on his knees. His emotions were a mix of distress and anger. Issei comes closer to talk to him.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" He asks.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Richie stood up. "I don't get it! I get brought back to life as a devil! I got my first contract! Alexandria ambushes me, almost killing me and you! I saved your life when I unlocked my sacred gear twice, by myself! I can't even use it again! I forgot to tell everyone about what Freed is gonna do when he has both artifacts. Pretty much, the majority probably hate me for telling them this late! I'm just so...so...frustrated!" He yelled sitting back down with tears flowing down his right eye. "Of all the humans she cherry picked out of a billion people in my world, why did it had to be me? I was living so well as a normal teenager and now this happened."

"She doesn't hate you."

"What?" he asked wiping a tear.

"I said she doesn't hate you. She's just worried about you."

"How do you know that?"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better. I suffered the same treatment as you."

"You did."

"Before I became a devil, I used to date a girl name Yuna Amano. Even now, that name still gives me chills. At first things were going well, that is until she killed me. I thought I was going to die. Then I thought about that girl with red hair and big boobs who goes to my school. That girl was Rias Gremory.

"That's sounds awfully familiar me. I got killed, thought about wishing to live another day and then Rias saved me. I guess we do have a lot of things in common don't we."

"The point is, yeah Rias can be stern at times, but that doesn't mean that she hates you. Don't let it overshadow you, understand? Hell, none of us aren't even mad at you! We think you're a really awesome guy!"

"For real?"

"For real. I was so glad that you gotten your first contract. I couldn't even get mine on the first day. Also, I never gotten the chance to say thanks for saving my ass earlier." He said punching his right shoulder. "For a rookie like yourself, you sure have a lot on your plate with you having the Prodigy Gear and all that arcane magic. Don't get so worked up about all this. We'll get you the artifacts and get you home. I just know we will."

"Yeah, I just hope so." Richie said as he looked up at the bright night sky.

"Hey, look it's getting late. I'm gonna head on home in a little while. You're more than welcome to stay in my room. I'll let Rias and Asia know that you'll be staying."

"Thanks, Issei. Wait-Asia lives with you too?!"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Oh, no, no, no." Richie said waving his hands. "I have no problem with that whatsoever at all. I just didn't know you'd be living with two girls in the same house. It seems rather unheard of. Doesn't your mom or dad know your living with them?

"Yeah, they actually don't mind. As long as I don't go full on perv mode on them."

"But when your mom and dad come back, they're going to find out sooner or later that a total stranger is living in your house."

"Eh, don't worry about. I'm sure Rias will plan something for them. She did the same for Asia when she moved in, so I'm sure you might have a fair shot at staying. You're feeling any better now?"

"Honestly, yeah. Much better."

On that note, the two boys stepped off the porch and walked back inside the old school building. Asia could see the two walking toward the front door. She quickly hid behind the door as soon as it opened. Issei and Richie didn't see her behind the door so the two were focused on getting upstairs. Asia closed the door behind her and sighed, thinking about what she overheard.

 _"_ _Richie might be moving in with us? I'm sure that's good thing. At least he doesn't have to worry on finding a place to stay. Having Richie with us would be a great addition. I'm just glad he's okay."_ Asia thought to herself with a smile as she looked upstairs where Richie and Issei were walking.


	9. Chapter 9: First Day of School - Part 1

-Inside Issei's Bedroom-

Everyone in the Hyoudou household was fast asleep. Beforehand, Rias originally wanted to sleep in Issei's room next to him. However, since Richie was a guest and a new devil in the Gremory peerage, he would be sleeping in his room while Rias slept in Asia's room. Usually, Rias would sleep naked when it was time for bed, but because she would be sleeping with Asia in her room, she decided to wear a regular nightgown instead. Rias informed Richie earlier that she would be asking about living arrangements after school.

 **6:41 A.M.**

It's the crack of dawn. Since Richie was sleeping in Issei's room, he would be resting on the floor in a sleeping bag next to Issei on his right side. All would be sleeping peacefully at this point. All except for Richie. During his sleep, he kept on making disgruntled faces along with a series of grunts would come from under his mouth.

 _Meanwhile in his dream…_

Richie was walking along a sidewalk on a bright, sunny day. He could feel the slight breeze flowing toward his face to his hair. The streets outside however were awfully familiar to the same streets he would normally go in his hometown of Everton. As he was walking along, he noticed a house. A white house with a green roof and a brown door with a gold door knocker attached on the center. The house was surrounded by a white picket fence. The grass had a shade of dark green with a strong scent, as if it was recently cut. He took a good look at the familiar home, until his eyes widen in realization. The family mailbox read "Louisè Family 3205".

"Hey, this my home." Richie said upod realization. "I'm home. I'm home! Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

Richie rushed to the door, wanted see his mother and father once more. He reached in his pocket to find his house but with no luck. He tried to search for the key hidden under the hanging potted plant where he would place in case he left his key. Surprisingly, he could not feel the key at all. It wasn't under the plant or in his pockets. The only way he could get in is if his mom or dad were inside. Richie knocked on the door with the knocker. As he lifted the knocker, he could feel the door slightly open. The door was left unlocked.

"That's funny. Why would the door be left unlocked like this? Mom and dad!?"

Richie rushed inside the house, closing the door behind him. He began to worry upon the reason why the door was left unlocked. Could his mom and dad gotten into an accident. Did someone invaded their home and robbed everything? Thankfully, nothing was taken from inside the house.

"Mom!? Dad!? Hello!?" He shouted. "Mom, are you home!? Dad, are you home early?"

He checked the living room but nowhere seemed to be there. He went upstairs to take a look in their bedroom. They weren't to be found as well. Finally, he decided to check the kitchen downstairs. Just as soon as he took his foot off the last step, all the lights go out. Everything in the entire house was pitch black. He couldn't see anything.

"Great. The power's out." He sighed in disappointment. "I better find a flashlight."

As soon as he said that, the kitchen's interior light began to turn on, however the light was dim. But the rest of the houses lights and power were left off. This wondered Richie. Why would the kitchen light turn itself on but all the rest of the power in the house is out? He walks to the place in the entire house that was brightly lit. Inside, he turns to see his mom and dad sitting down on the kitchen table with their heads down under the table light, the only light source of the whole room.

"Richie. Welcome home, sweetheart. We've been waiting for you to show. Please have a seat. Your father and I would like to have something to discuss." Richie's mom said in a serious tone.

"Your mother is right, son. Please sit down."

Richie did what his parents told him and took a seat right in front of them. He was curious to know what was going on. What's with the tone his parents gave him. Did he do something wrong? Did he get in trouble in school. Richie immediately started to sweat bullets. Just what the heck did he do? He himself did not know. The only to find out why was to ask directly.

"Okay. M-mom. Dad, what's this all about? Did I do something wrong? Was it anything school related? I've been getting good grades like you guys always told me. I'm not getting into any fights either. Heck, me and Blake haven't done anything stupid that would make you guys this upset."

No response. They still stood there in total silence with their hands together and heads still down. Richie felt like it was something much worse than school or Blake.

"What was it that I did wrong? What happened!? I need to know!" He responded until his dad opened his mouth to speak.

"Richie, answer this question to me? How old are you?" He said.

"Easy. I'm fifteen years old. I'll be turning 16 in November." Richie responded. His mother began to speak.

"And we've watched you turn from our beautiful blessing of a baby to a growing, healthy, teenager. Isn't that right?"

"Uh, yeah. When you...put it that way?"

"15 LONG, glorious, blissful years! Isn't that right Edwardo, baby?"

"You are correct my little flor delicada." The husband said.

"And during those years we have taught you the important values of life. How to appreciate life given as a whole. Knowing from what's right from wrong. Right, Richie?" the mom said.

"Um, yeah, I guess so?" He replied.

"I'm going to ask you one short question. One you would know since you were baptized since you were three. What are the three important golden rules of this family?" Eduardo asked him.

"Oh, that's easy. Always be honest, obey your mom and dad, and never lie. Dad, we've practically been over this since then.

"Really? Well, then let's do a quick recap shall we. We've always been telling you steer clear away from the deepest depths of the dark side. Avoiding the perils of deception by the likes of the devil. So tell me Richie, explain..THIS!" He grabbed his right hand to open his right palm. The couple can see the seal of Gremory. Glowing bright red on his hand. "What is this on your hand I see!?"

"It's…It's...I can't tell you. I-It's a secret."

"NO! I want to hear everything. You know we don't keep secrets in this house. Anything that you want to hide, you can tell us. We won't blurt it out to anyone. Now, I'm going to ask you this one more time and if you say that it's a secret, there will be things I'll do you won't even imagine" He says as he squeezes his hand tighter in anger."

Richie with his head down decides to come clean. "Ok, I'll tell you! That mark on my hand...it's...it's a seal."

"What does it mean exactly. Tell me more." he asked.

"It means that...I'm a servant in the house of Gremory. In other words, dad...I'm a devil." with one tear going down his right eye.

Richie's mom broke down in crying. "I knew it! Why God? Oh why? My precious baby's a devil!" She sobbed. "Why Lord did it have to happen. Oh, Eduardo! What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry. I know one person to call in a dire time like this. One that can remedy all of this." Dad said as he got up to pick up his cell phone.

"Dad? Who are you calling?"

"You'll see son. Hello? Yes, it's Eduardo. I can now confirm it. You said it and you were right. I don't care how much it costs, how fast can you get here?"

 ***DING DONG***

"Talk about fast." Impressed Eduardo as he power walks to the door.

"Dad, who's that at the door?" Richie questioned.

"Someone special that can get rid of this sickness inside."

"What!? Dad! You what are you-" Richie exclaimed as his mom turns him around to hold her son in embrace with his head to her chest.

"It's okay, baby. Mommy's here. Everything is gonna be alright. We're gonna get this evil demon out of you. Don't you worry!"

Richie's dad turns the knob to open the door revealing a shadowy, tall, black figure standing in the doorway. From what it was bright and sunny a moment ago was now dark and storming outside with lightning flashing behind him. The guy had a dark black trench coat with a fedora. His face can barely be seen as his eyes brightly glew the color of red starting deepling at the teenage devil.

"Reverend. What a blessing it truly is to meet you once more." He introduces himself by shaking his hand. "Please, my son is right over there."

Richie was now being tied to a chair with strong rope. It was as instantaneous within a blink of an eye from being held by his mother for a short moment later to now bounded together to the kitchen chair. He struggles to escape, but to no avail. The rope was super tight around his arm and torso areas. The only thing he can see was the exorcist standing right infront of him with an evil grin.

"Richie, this is Reverend Freed Sellzen. He's the nice man that's going to exorcise that demon inside that poor soul of yours." His mother said from behind.

"Oh, no introduction is needed ma'am. I've believed we've met before." Freed said licking up the shaft of his gun in an upward position while giving his creepy smile to his target.

Richie heard his voice. The familiar voice gave him a bone chilling, spine tingling sensation. The recognizable fear of this person had brought back recent memories of his encounter.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you two. I'll be more than happy enough to smite the demon out of that body of his. You're more than welcome observe my work." said Freed.

"I wish we could, but me and the wife have to run an important errand. My son is all yours, Reverend." Eduardo said as he and his wife were about to open the door until Richie told off on his parents.

"Mom! Dad! You can't do that! You two can't just leave me here alone with this creep! He's a psycho! Don't you love your son!?" Richie exclaimed.

"Of course we do, Richie. Just not the demon that's already inside you. But don't worry, you'll be alright by the time we're back." His dad told him.

"Eduardo, I hope you don't mind in the slightest. Just in case Richie tries to pull something on me or even be as stupid as to escape, I managed to bring backup." Freed tells Richie's dad.

The crazy exorcist opens the front door to reveal two more beings. All which were approximately the same height side by side. Lightning struck behind them as soon as they were revealed. They stepped inside, revealing to be Alexavier and Alexandria Sellzen. The niece and nephew apprentices of Freed. Alexavier holds up a light sword while maintaining a nasty, psychotic grin. Alexandria on the other hand, cracks her knuckles while wearing her MMA gloves, giving the same grin to Richie.

"Hello, dearest boyfriend." Alexandria greets Richie.

"Now that the gang's all here, let's get to work. Shall we?" Freed said holding up his gun point blank range on Richie's forehead. Freed clicks back his revolver to shoot him dead in the face. "And he shall smite the wicked and send him to the fiery pits of the damned!"

"No!" Richie says shaking his head back and forth. "Don't shoot! I'm begging you! Mom! Dad! Don't leave! I promise I'll be good! I promise to be a good boy!" He sobbed. "No! Please! Have mercy!"

Richie began to wail and cry into a total fear. He was completely stuck with no escape, no way out. Only to be shot by his worst enemy by far.

 ***BANG!***

His sight in short notice turned nothing but white, only to hear the echo of the gunshot. Back in Issei's bedroom, Richie was tossing and turning left to right on his futon. He continued to mutter in his sleep.

"No! No! Please! Mom! Dad! I'm sorry! I'll be good! I'll be good!" Richie cried.

Issei was then woken up by Richie's night terror. He got out of his bed upon hearing his screaming. Issei sat down on his knees next to him on the floor. He started to shake his body up to wake up.

"Richie! Richie! Richie, wake up! Wake up!" he yelled.

Richie could hear Issei in his conscious. He soon began to open his eyes on immediacy to wake up. He got up out of his futon breathing heavily after that scary dream. Tears were flowing down from both his eyes.

"W-What happened?" he asked.

"You were dreaming. You had a crazy nightmare. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said rubbing his right forehead. "Man, what a dream."

"You're sweating like crazy. Crap, your shirt is all moist."

"Night sweat. It happens all the time when I'm having nightmares like this. But this was the worst by far." he nodded.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

The two boys were a bit startled by the knocking. "Yeah, come in." Issei allowed.

The door was then opened. It was Asia in her blue nightgown. Apparently, she must've been woken up by the Richie's screaming.

"I heard loud screaming. So, I came to check up on you you two alright?"

"It's okay Asia. We're fine. I just had a bad dream, that's all." Richie told her. "Sorry, if I woke you and Rias up."

"It's no trouble. Me and Rias needed to get out of bed anyway. Since you two are up as well, let's get ready for school. Rias and I will help cook breakfast. If you guys need anything, let us know." Asia said as she left.

"Oh crap, you're right! It's already 6:45!" Issei replied checking his clock. "Rias told me that since you're our guest, feel free to use the bathroom to shower first. Then Asia, me, and Rias. I'd say you better get started."

"Thanks, Issei." Richie nodded. "But wait, how can I change clothes without any fresh underpants?"

"No worries. Rias already laid a fresh pack underwear on my desk." Issei pointed.

Richie got up from his small futon to give himself a quick stretch before heading in the shower to clean. He sees the fresh package of four pairs of underwear laid out on Issei's computer desk and brings it to the bathroom, along with a towel for himself to dry later on.

Moments later, Richie was getting ready to head out of the shower. Issei from his room heard the shower turn off. He went downstairs to let Asia know it was his turn. As Issei was descending down, he can see Asia and Rias still in their nightgowns cooking breakfast. The smell of fresh breakfast in the morning made Issei very hungry, yet happy as well.

"Okay, Asia. Richie is about done back there. You can go ahead and get ready now."

"Oh, great. Thanks Issei."

"I'll watch the food while you're gone! Issei, would you mind helping me cook the rest of these eggs?"

"Yeah, for sure." he agrees.

Asia goes back upstairs to her room to find her light blue laced bra and panties. She finds the two pairs along with a towel. As she makes her way to the bathroom, she noticed that the door was still closed meaning that Richie was still inside getting ready. She knocks on the door.

 ***KNOCK KNOCK***

"Richie, are you still in there? It's my turn to use the bathroom now." She said.

"J-Just a second, Asia!" Richie replied to her.

Finally, the door opened a few seconds later. Steam comes rolling out of the bathroom. Richie stepped out, standing in front of the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of solid blue underpants with a towel hanging over his right shoulder while holding a toothbrush with his left hand.

"Sorry, it took so long. I had to finish brushing my teeth. The bathroom is all yours now."

To Asia's POV, she sees him shirtless with a tan average build showing a little bit of muscle on his chest. Asia stared directly at Richie's chest only to have her face in a shade of red.

"Asia, are you okay? Your face looks kinda red. Are you sick or something?" he questioned.

Asia quickly shook her head to get back into reality and ran past Richie before closing the door behind him.

"Excuse you?" said Richie.

"Sorry, Richie! I just really need to use the shower really quickly. Oh dear Lord, please forgive me for my naughty thoughts." She prayed until both she got a terrible headache yelping in pain.

"So strange." He nodded with a sigh.

 **MOMENTS LATER**

All members of the household have had their showers. Rias, Issei, and Asia began sitting down for breakfast. The entire table had four plates of sunny side up eggs, bacon, ham, toast, and a glass of orange juice. One plate for each side of the table. Each had their own plate in front of them, but there was one thing missing.

"Where's Richie? If he doesn't get here soon his breakfast is gonna get cold." Rias said.

"Yeah. I'm sure he'll be down here in a sec." Issei tells both girls. "Besides if he skips out of breakfast I don't mind going for seconds." He chuckled.

The three later hear footsteps not too far from the kitchen. It was indeed Richie, considering he was the only one left. The teenage boy descended downstairs to the kitchen to finally fill his stomach with some breakfast the three made today. He approached toward the table supporting his new school attire. Richie now was wearing the official uniform of his newly attending school, Kuoh Academy. A black blazer along with pants to match the same color. Underneath had a white shirt with black vertical stripes. Both all buttoned up. To top off, he wore a nice clean pair of light blue shoes that came with the uniform.

 _"Not as bad as the black and blue Nikes like last time, but they'll just have to do."_ he pondered to himself.

Richie was just 99 percent done fixing his uniform. The only difference was his black thin tie. For the longest time, he couldn't get the tie on straight or at least tie it on at all. He wasn't always a tie guy. In fact, this was his first time wearing a tie. So he left off untied until he can fix it later before entering school.

"Well, how do I look?" Richie said before entering the kitchen.

"Wow, Richie! I must say you do look great in your uniform. Don't you think so guys?" Rias asked Asia and Issei.

"Yeah. I'm so excited that you're going to attend school with us!" Asia smiled.

"You're gonna love coming to our school as the new kid. Now, you're definitely one of us now. Except for one last adjustment."

"What's that, Issei?" Richie asked.

Issei had gotten up from his table to approach Richie. He unbuttoned both his blazer and and white shirt to show off his blue shirt. He then grab he of the tie, snatched it, and threw out behind him.

"I'm not much of a tie person myself too. Anyway, this is the way I usually dress when I go to school. I thought it make you feel way more comfortable." Issei said standing back gesturing both his thumb and index fingers in a rectangle as if it were a landscape photo. "There! Now you look even better! How does it feel?"

"Actually, it feels a ton of a lot better. And a little bit more cooler if you ask me."

"Alright, let's eat then. We don't want to get to school on an empty stomach." Rias giggled.

Richie soon sat down on the empty seat next to Issei as Asia remained seated next to Rias. The breakfast entree they had wasn't just bacon and eggs. The entree also included a small salad on the side. Normally in Japanese breakfasts, they would usually serve omelettes with rice on the side along with meat such as ham or bacon. However, the three decided to make the breakfast American styled as possible to welcome Richie to the new world. Richie then tried the bacon and eggs. From right then on, he smiled in delight.

"Wow, these bacon and eggs are cooked amazingly well!" He says. "Issei, did you cooked this?"

"I didn't do all the work. It was Asia and Rias that did most of the cooking." Issei replied.

"I gotta say, you two really great cooks." Richie says eating his eggs. He spoke after swallowing the flavor "These eggs are so cooked to perfection. I'll admit, these eggs are made better than the ones I usually cook."

Rias and Asia chuckled in unison. "Maybe we should cook for you guys more often." Rias giggled after.

"So Richie, you mind telling us more about yourself. Not just about your mission, but about where you're from and what do you like to do and stuff?" Issei asked.

"Yeah. We'd certainly like to know a little bit more about you." Asia asked politely.

"Okay." He agreed. "I was gonna save it until school, but I guess you three deserve to know a little about me. Let's see, I was born in a town called Everton, California on the 22nd of November. I hang out with my best friend Blake almost everyday after school. Whenever we do hang out, we play video games for some time. But most of the time, we're playing basketball from after school to sunset. Basketball is like my number one passion. It's the one hobby I can never let go."

"That's right. You told us that you were playing for your school's basketball tournament." Issei said.

"Yep. What's interesting is that our team, coincidentally is called the Everton Blue Devils. But half of our team calls us the Blue Diablos

"Speaking of basketball Richie, I don't know if you noticed, but our school just got new basketball courts in." Rias mentioned.

"Yeah, one of your guys, Kiba was it? He gave me a little tour of the back of the school. He told me to wait for him to get back, so I managed to kill some time on the court. Then all of a sudden a bunch of the students decided to show up around me. I guess they were really impressed with my skills.

"So, it really was you back there." said Asia.

"You guys saw me there? Weird, I didn't see you guys in the crowd."

"We were gonna get you out to come with us, but Kiba told us go on ahead without him." Issei told him. "I would've liked to see your skills in action."

"Cool. I'll have to show you a little bit of my moves whenever you and I get the chance, Issei. Maybe, I'll teach you with a bit of one on one if you want." he chuckled.

"Richie." Rias called to him.

"Oh. yeah?" he responded.

"About yesterday. I want to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes. Akeno handed me your first contract as soon as you left. I didn't get a chance to properly thank you for your work. I hope I didn't make you too upset."

"Oh, not at all. I'm totally fine. It's no big deal, really. I get it. You were just trying to look out for the best interest of me. Being a the user of this Prodigy Gear really is truly an honor."

"Not just the best interest of you. As a master, I must also look after the best interest of all my servants in my peerage. Having a devil human possessing the arcane powers of the missing longinus is a big deal for us. Richie, I am truly grateful to have you on our side. I sincerely do."

"G-Gee, thanks Rias." Richie smiled.

"You're welcome. But don't think just because I'm going soft on you now doesn't mean I'm not going to work you down to the bone. The powers of the Prodigy Gear are very sacred and complex. It requires a lot of training and unique concentration. You think you're ready to be up to the challenge?"

Richie let's his head down with his eyes shut. He thinks about for a brief moment. He knew that if he wants to get better, he has to work hard for it. Like preparing for a big basketball game. A very important basketball game. Richie took himself a deep breath in and exhaled.

"I'd say bring it on! I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger!" Richie says clenching his fist in front of him as a will of determination.

"Great! That's what we loved to hear from you!" the crimson haired girl said.

"Alright! So, when does this training start? Next week? A few days?" he says drinking his orange juice.

"Tomorrow." She says.

As soon as she says tomorrow, Richie was surprised. So much so that he almost choked on drinking his orange juice. He's coughed many times in disbelief.

"Tomorrow? That soon?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. As early as 6 o'clock on the dot. We need you to be in tip top shape. Is that a problem?" She says raising an eyebrow.

"No. It's cool. I'm totally cool with that. The earlier the better my coach always says. Question, am I going to be the only one doing all the training?"

"Relax, silly boy. Since I'm your master, I'll be coordinating your training progression throughout your days with us. You won't be the only one doing all the work by yourself. The rest of the group will be joining you along on this. As a matter a fact, you and Issei will be joining together side by side on this training as well. What do you think, Issei?"

"Cool! I could really use a training partner. Don't you worry bout a thing, Richie. It's gonna suck at first but you'll love it when you get the hang of it." Issei said giving Richie a slap on the back as the rest of the group laughed at Issei's shenanigans.

Richie thought about what would the training be like. For him, it would certainly be the best thing for him. The more he would train the stronger he would become. The stronger he is, the sooner he'll have a chance to beat Freed. He looked at his right arm and wondered what potential lies within the Prodigy Gear. What new things he might learn throughout his journey? How will he achieve and abundance of new skills in the days to come. He continued to eat his breakfast to fill his stomach with enough energy for the new school with a smile on his face. Knowing well, he would be happy to train alongside with his new partner.

-At Kuoh Academy-

All of the students of the second year were already inside their respected classes. Inside one classroom, a bunch of the students at Kuoh Academy were still standing around conversing each other while some students were already sitting down waiting for the teacher to arrive. Asia soon entered inside the classroom as she walked towards Issei.

"Asia, you made it. I was worried you were going to be late. Any update on Richie yet."

"Rias and I were just out of the admin office a while ago. He'll be here when class starts. They just wanted a few more bits of paperwork for him to clear."

"Awesome. You know after all that's happened, I'm kinda stoked to have Richie in the same class as us. Rias really must've pulled some strings."

Meanwhile, two other students were having a conversation in the back of the classroom. A brown pigtailed girl named Murayama and a short pink haired girl with a solid white headband named Katase.

"So, did you hear about the rumor?" Katase questioned Murayama.

"Yeah, I heard. I hope we're getting a new student here today. Do you know if the student is a boy or a girl?" said Murayama.

"No, all I heard is that we're supposed to be getting a new student soon today. It would be nice to see a another girl student. But if it's a boy, he just better not be like a pervert."

"You got that right." Murayama crossed her arms with a disgusted expression on her face reminding them of how many times the perverted trio invaded their privacy in the girls locker room many times.

"ISSEI!"

Two male voices can be heard from class entrance yelling Issei's name in unison.

"Speak of the devils." said Murayama in disgruntled annoyance.

Two boys ran through the classroom entrance with a fast pace. As they appeared,the two girls were in immediate disgust to see the two boys. One of them had a bald haircut and the other had messy short hair with big glasses. The two knew Issei very well due to their amount of satisfaction in lust and perversion. Combined together, those three are better known in the school as the perverted trio.

"Issei! Yo man, did you hear the news!?" Matsuda told him.

"What news?"

"We found out a transfer student is joining our class today. Me and Motohama are wondering what the student is. Rumor has it that it might be a girl!"

"Yep. Should this beauty be a girl, we're all wondering if you wanna come with us for a sneak peek. Luckily for me, I took the liberty already betting against Matsuda on estimating her measurements. I estimate that this chick is a 34-23-34." Motohama said adjusting his glasses.

"And I'm telling you that this girl is about 38-25-38! We both can be off by two for each measurement. What do you think Issei?"

As the two were treating this bet as if they're trying to win the lottery, Issei began to snicker and soon laugh. Little did the perverted duo know that Issei would be the one ahead to know who the new student was.

"What's so funny?" Motohama asked.

"The both of you. You two are way beyond off." Issei laughed.

"How off? It's sounds like to me you already know who this girl is."

"So you're saying this chick could be flat as a board or big like effin' cantaloupes? C'mon Issei give us a clear answer will ya!?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Look, you guys are going about the wrong way anyway. The new kid is…"

Issei was about to tell Motohama and Matsuda the entire truth about the new student. As soon as he was about to finish his sentence, the bell had rang for the beginning of class. A female teacher entered through the doors of the classroom as a reminder that class is about to start.

"Alright class, quiet down. Please take your seats. Now then, as some of you know, there's been a rumor flying around that we have a new student joining us. I'm letting you know now that the rumors are true and the new kid is here right now."

The class couldn't believe they were right about the new student rumor. They later soon began to chatter about it from all students.

"So the rumors were right."

"I wonder where'd this new kid transferred from?"

"Do you think it might be a girl?"

"Who knows? If she is, she might be cute too."

"If he's a boy, I hope he's not a pervert like those guys."

The female teacher gave a big sigh before clapping her hands to calm down the chatter during her announcement. No more conversations were made when the teacher had their eyes up front toward her.

"Alright, alright! That's enough. Young man, you may come in now and kindly introduce yourself to the class." the teacher said.

Richie looked at the teacher from the doorway as he was given the proper go to enter the class. He knew that he would not be the only one joining the class. Issei and Asia will be there to help him as well. He took a deep breath to calm down his nervousness inside him and began to enter inside. Upon entering, he stands next to the teacher as he looks at the entire class. Members of the class on the other hand were gave their reaction right away.

"Holy crap! It's the guy!" one of the male students

"Oh my God! It's him!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"No way! That's the guy who embarrassed me on the basketball court yesterday!" yelled Matsuda.

"Class, please!" The teacher shouted at her students. "I'm sorry. Would you please tell us your name and where you're from?"

"Um, sure. Okay. A-Allow me to introduce myself. M-My name is Richie Louisè." He said before giving a proper introductory bow to the entire class. "I'm currently a foreign exchange student from the United States and I'm excited to be a part your guys' class."

There was only a few seconds of pure silence until all the girls inside the classroom later shrieked. Richie had to back up from the sudden noise from the female students. Within seconds he was getting sorts of attention from different girls left to right.

"Oh my God! Just look at him!" One of the girls said.

"He looks almost as handsome as Kiba!" Katase said.

"Those freckles on his face! They're just so adorable!" expressed Murayama with stars on her pupils.

"That gorgeous black hair!"

"I wonder if this guy is even single!"

"Where are you from exactly?" the teacher said.

"Actually, I was born and raised in a small city called Everton. It's about a few ways just south of San Diego, California. It's a really great place to live and the community is very friendly."

"Great. Tell us more about yourself. What brought you here in Japan exactly?"

 _"Man, I hope this story Rias told me works. Oh well, here goes nothing."_

"I'm glad you asked. Being in the U.S. was great and everything, but what got me here in the first place was actually my mom. She had got this new job in Kyoto for a banking firm. As soon as she got accepted I was very excited. However, there was a slight mix-up with our living arrangements, but the good news is that I'll be staying with a friend of mine who I had been in contact for years now, since I was in middle school. He actually goes to this particular school. So for the time being, I'll be staying with him on a temporary basis until everything is all fixed. You probably know him by now. His name is Issei Hyoudou.

Besides Issei and Asia, the entire class were in shock. They couldn't believe what Richie had said. Most, if not, all of the school knew who Issei is and how bad his reputation was for being a pervert. Not to mention, Richie became unknown to this fact. He didn't know how to react. Issei's reaction on the other hand was more so to getting used to being lashed out as a pervert but a bit embarrassed by the class's response. The class began to murmur once more.

"Is this guy for real?"

"First Issei brings Asia in, now him?

"Is Issei throwing some sort of gangbang party or something? What's going on here?" One guy said.

"There's no way a guy this cute is living with that perv." One of the girls said.

 _"Wow, I didn't expect to get this much a crowd reaction. Issei must have a big rep around here."_

"Okay, settle down back there! Richie, thank you for your wonderful introduction. We're just about to start homeroom, so go right ahead and take your seat on that empty desk right behind Murayama while I give attendance.

Richie gave the teacher an affirmed yes nod before walking down the aisle on the left side of the class. Most of the girls were staring as he walked to his new desk, giving them adoring smiles, noticing how attractive he was. The boys however, especially Motohama and Matsuda were giving him immediate death glares knowing how jealous they were that the new kid was the center of the attention. Richie soon sat down behind the brown haired pigtailed girl, Murayama. He noticed the various mixed emotions from the other students beside him. Issei tapped him on his shoulder.

"Trust me, you're gonna be fine. I know what it was like being the new kid. You're doing good so far, aside from all the attention you're getting." Issei whispered to him.

All of the students including Richie are in their seats. The homeroom teacher went ahead to go over a few upcoming announcements. Including upcoming tryouts for new members of the kendo club should anyone want to join including a special beginners tournament soon later after. The announcements only lasted for for a brief moment. Homeroom wouldn't last for another good fifteen minutes. When it was over, the students would stay or go to their next class. As the announcements were done, the teacher called all students to rise, bow, and dismiss the entire class. The class, mostly girls, within seconds soon stormed toward Richie's desk which ending up surrounding him in a plethora of girls.

"Richie tell us...what's your e-mail address!?"

"Are you planning on joining any clubs soon!?"

"What's it like living in the United States!?"

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Do you have a girlfriend!?"

"Me first!"

"No! Me First!"

Richie with a sweat drop tries to answer as many questions as he could. "O-O-Okay. Ummm, I-I don't have an email address yet. I've already joined a club. Living in the U.S. was awesome. Sometimes I do get homesick, but I try not to let that overshadow me. Basketball has always been my hobby. And no, I'm single."

All of the girls surrounding him were shocked and relieved that he is doesn't have a girlfriend. That meant that any girl would have a chance to be with him. Meanwhile Asia and Issei were standing outside of the girls to continue looking at Richie.

"This is great. With all the attention Richie is getting, I think he's going to like it here at school. Don't you think so, Issei?" Asia questioned him. "Issei?"

Asia looked around herself to find Issei. He was just here beside her about a few seconds ago. It took her only a few more seconds to find him all the on the other side of the room with the boys especially with Motohama and Matsuda. The perverted duo managed to hold down the perverted master with Matsuda holding holding him full nelson and Matsuda tugging up his red shirt.

"What the hell!? Why'd you invite an effin jock like him to live in your house with a blonde beauty like Asia?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Issei, fess up! What's your secret!? What's going on!? You throwing some sort a gangbang or something! Explain! C'mon, we're your best friends! Don't dime us out like that!" Motohama yelled applying the full Nelson grip on Issei as hard as he can.

Asia stormed into the crowd of boys in an attempt to pull away Issei from the two to calm them both down.

"Oh no! Guys, please don't hurt him!" Asia yelled in plea.

"No one's hurt." the perverted duo said in unison.

"Please, let Issei go. He was only trying to help for what's right. Honest."

"Asia's right. Please, you gotta believe me! You've gotta understand! He had nowhere else to go! I had to do something! Now let me go! I'm losing all the feeling in my arms!"

Matsuda and motohama stared at each other. Thinking whether they should believe what his word and release him or accept his punishment. They looked at Asia and gave them a big, emphatic…

 **"NOPE!"**

Matsuda and Motohama refused and continued to hold down Issei. Motohama dangles, slinging Issei left and right in the patented full nelson. Asia could do nothing but just stare in hopes but to tire themselves out. Richie, even thought he was surrounded by the girls could see Issei being pulled around by the perverted duo. He couldn't help but to do something about it. Richie got up from his desk and walked to where they were.

"Huh? Richie, where you going?" Katase asked.

"What's he doing?" Murayama said.

All the girls stood there and watched Richie walked toward the two perverts attacking Issei. They followed as he followed. As he walked near Motohama and Matsuda, Richie tapped Asia's shoulder. She turned around to noticed Richie behind her.

"Richie." Asia said realizing it was him.

"Excuse me, Asia." Richie told her waving his right hand back and forth as a gesture.

Asia stood aside to let Richie through as he approached Motohama and Matsuda refusing to let go a defenseless Issei.

"E-Excuse me. May I ask, what are you two doing to Issei? And could you please let him go?"

"Look man, this is none of your business! Let us do our thing and punish this prick and you do yours!" Matsuda exclaimed pointing to Richie.

"Yeah, what he said! Just back off and let us handle this bastard!" Motohama yelled as Richie stood back next to Asia.

"How long has this been going on?" Richie stepped off to asked her.

"Since the end of homeroom." Asia responded. "I just hope Issei's alright."

"Oh, he will be. Just watch this."

Asia didn't know what he meant by 'watch this'. She watched as Richie walks up closer from behind the perverted duo. While happening, the rest of the girls in homeroom next to Asia trying to observe what's going on with the new kid and why's he walking behind the two perverts. Richie was already directly behind Motohama focusing on the back of his head. Matsuda was so busy holding Issei that he couldn't pay attention that Richie was already behind him. Without any hesitation, Richie, with his eyes closed, took his left hand and proceeded to pinch and pull his right ear hard. So hard, it cause him to lose his grip of the full nelson on Issei. Matsuda had to let go of Issei's shirt as well. Asia and the rest of the girls were amazed what Richie did to release his Issei.

"AGGHHHH! Matsuda! A little help here!" Motohama exclaimed in pain.

"Yo! Let him go, you dick!" Matsuda yelled at Richie as he was about to punch him directly in the face.

"Richie watch out!" Asia warning Richie.

Richie still held on to Motohama by the right ear as he deflected Motohama punch by ducking, turning around and grabbing his left ear with his other hand. The boys were in deep shock to how fast and defensive Richie was.

"Woah, look how quick he dodged that!" one boy said.

"He just caught Matsuda just like that!" another boy said.

"The way he took down those two perverts!" Katase said.

"So, incredible!" astonished Murayama

Richie hangs on to the two of them firmly but not so much as to give them nerve or ear damage. He begins to speak to them very sternly.

"Now, I don't want to get off on the wrong foot or anything, but I'm only going to say this once. I don't like to see anyone get pushed around. Keep your hands to yourself! Are we clear!?" He says to the both of them.

"Yeah, yeah! We're clear!" Motohama yelled in pain.

"Absolutely, crystal clear! Just let us go man! My ear is starting to hurt!" Matsuda exclaimed.

Richie accepted their pleas and was kind enough to let the two perverts go. Motohama and Matsuda's ears were turned into a shade of red due to how hard Richie pulled on their ears like that. He bent down to check up on Issei. Asia tagged along with him.

"You okay, Issei?" Richie asked offering his hand out to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No biggie." Issei replied as he was helped up by Richie. "Look, you didn't have to do all that to help me. Besides those two you caught were friends of mine."

"Friends of yours?" Richie questioned.

Issei soon pushed Motohama and Matsuda right in front of Richie so that the two would introduce themselves properly.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Matsuda and Motohama questioned.

"Richie, I'd like for you to meet my best friends. Motohama and Matsuda. Guys, this is Richie Louise."

"Oh, I know those two. I believed we've already met back yesterday. I crossed them over dunking on these two back on the court. Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you two like that. No hard feelings?" Richie said with a smile as he held out both his hands as a sign of friendship and apology.

Motohama and Matsuda looked at each other once more with an angry look on their faces from the insult Richie I made about their first encounter. Both had thought about their decision to whether to shake his hand or not. The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Oh my God! Is the new kid really about to shake hands with to two of the biggest perverts in this school?"

"Don't do it Richie! You'll catch perv and become one one of them!"

"Richie and Issei!? You've got to be kidding me!?

The girls began to murmur and chatter away about Richie's interaction of the perverted three. Katase and Murayama turned to each other as they nodded into an agreement.

"Should we save him?" Katase questioned her best friend.

"He's new and way too cute to be with those creeps. We have to break him outta there before it's too late. I'm ready if you are." Murayama said.

"Ready as I'll ever be" Katase confirmed.

The two went up to Richie from behind as each one grabbed his arm. Katase grabbed Richie's right arm as Murayama grabbed his left.

"C'mon Richie! There's about 20 minutes before class actually starts!

"She's right! You don't need to be hanging around with pervs like them anyway. They'll corrupt your mind within seconds. Hang with us! We'll show you around the school for awhile."

"Oh, o-okay." He stammered with a smile. "Issei, Asia, I'll see you two in class later on? Okay? I sorta got my hands full. It was nice meeting you Matzoball and Motohara!"

"IT'S MATSUDA AND MOTOHAMA!" both screamed in unison.

"He comes this school for nearly 10 minutes and already he's got two hotties clinging onto him? The next time we see him we're gonna teach that little douche a lesson. And I think I know just the plan." Matsuda said those last two sentences quietly before he snapped his finger calling for Motohama.

He whispered Motohama the following idea he had in his mind. Motohama nodded at each point of his plan for it to go into fruition. He said yes on every point he had given out while Issei was feets away from his friend, not knowing what they were saying.

 _"What are those two up to?"_ Issei wondered.

"Issei, we better get going. We don't wanna be late for our next class." Asia reminded him.

"Right. Lead the way Asia." He told her.

Issei still became skeptical about Motohama and Matsuda's conversation as he and Asia walked over to their English class.

 _"What was Matsuda whispering in Motohama's ear?"_ Issei pondered _"If they're planning something, what is it? They better not do anything bad to Richie. I'll find something out when we're in P.E. third period. But I will admit, Matsuda's right. It's Richie's first day and he's girls gawking all over him. He's so freaking' lucky! Shit like that never happened to me on the first day!"_

 ***BELL RINGS***

It was almost time for the next class. Rias was walking along by herself with only about 7 minutes before class starts. To kill some time she stood against a wall while reading her textbook to catch up on her upcoming lesson. Seconds later, a girl with a black bob style haircut wearing purple glasses began to approach Rias directly. Rias knew who the girl was and the two began to conversate to one another.

"Rias. Good to see you." the girl said.

"Oh, good morning Sona." Rias replied.

"I know you've told me we should keep things in confidential, but during times like this, I feel it should be more talked about. People would be calling you insane for letting a possessor of one world's most dangerous magic join your clan. Have spoken with your higher ups about this?"

"Sona, I assure you. I'm not crazy. I already informed all the other higher ranking devils of Gremory about my newest acquisition. A user like him is worthy enough to be my knight" Rias giggled. "And besides, he just discovered his will to utilize his magic. He's on our side to gain control as he trains." She affirmed.

"And what if his magic does goes haywire? Need I also remind you that he carries the arcane powers of a powerful dragon empress kin to the Red Dragon Emperor. Speaking of the Red Dragon, how's your pawn taking it?"

"Believe it or not he's taking it very well. Seeing this side of Issei, it feels very proud. I'm making sure he's good mentor. I have a good feeling those two will bond greatly. And just relax, he's in good hands. As the days goes by, I'm oh so sure he'll learn to control his power. You have my word, Sona.

"Forgive me for being rude, but don't you think having arcane powers from your knight should belong to someone powerful like say you or Akeno. Seems like a hefty gamble to have a knight like him possess that type of magic, doesn't it?" Sona suggested pushing up her glasses.

"That maybe true. But I wouldn't call it a gamble. I'd call it-how you say when you find a cute outfit at a low price-a steal." Rias assured. "Now come on, you don't want to be late now do you?"

Rias and Sona, both masters of their respected peerage, entered inside their classroom together. Sona with a small sigh was still a little concerned about the fact not only Rias acquired her second and final knight, but also gained a new power that potentially almost cause the brink of human extinction. Sona was told later that Rias will continue to update her as time moves along.

 ***BELL RINGS***

The entire class later dispersed from their second period class as soon as the bell rung. In the previous period, Richie was taking Algebra I. He knew this class would be a breeze for him. Math was often his favorite subject back in his other school at Everton. During class, he could totally tell from the expression on Issei's face that he didn't care for Math. It wasn't his strong suit. The next class he would take would be science. This time he was all by himself. It felt a bit uneasy without Issei or Asia around. As time went on in there, he flowed through class like a charm. Science wasn't always his brightest subject his old school. Richie would get C's or even a C. However, in this school, it seems that this science class was much more easier than his last school. He couldn't quite piece it together. The environment of the school could be the reason why as well as the students. As the bell rung, he got out from his seat to walk toward his next class. The class he was waiting for this whole day, which turned out to be his favorite subject in school. Gym. He sees Issei walking out his history class a few doors down. Issei had a long tiring expression on his face.

"Issei, there you are!" Richie waves to him as he rushed toward him. "How was your class?"

"Boring as hell, as usual." He answered. "I swear it gets even more boring year after year. What about you? How are you adjusting to your classes?"

"So far so good. This whole school feels like it's much easier to maintain than my regular school."

"Richie, you've only been here at school for two periods. There's still so much left."

"I know. But I have feeling this school's gonna be even better." said Richie in an optimistic tone pulling out his schedule. "Cause we all got gym the next period, then after that lunch. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it." He said rubbing his stomach. "Tell me Issei, what's gym like here at this school?"

"It's nothing special really. Just stretching, exercising, and running. The only best part is the stretching."

"The stretching? Why's that?" Richie asked until Issei placed his left hand on his right shoulder beside to halt him.

"The girls." Issei pointed bluntly.

"The girls?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Whether it's outside or inside on a day like this, out across the distance is every teenage guys' dream at this school. Those tight gym shorts, along with their white T-shirts. And when they get sweaty enough you can see right through them with the naked eye, almost like x-ray vision. Jugs so big, it's as almost you can hold two big scoops of raisins from each hand."

Richie couldn't help but snicker at that last sentence Issei said.

"Issei, you need grab onto reality and hold on tight, because that was one of the weakest things I'd ever heard coming out of your perverted mind!" Richie chuckled loudly.

"Hey, it's not weak! It's the pleasure principle!" Issei barked.

"Two scoops of raisins!? Really! C'mon! How would you know what two scoops really feel like. I mean it's not like you actually felt them for real or anything." Richie snickered as he walked off, but Issei wasn't following him. He didn't notice his presence until he turned around seeing Issei standing scratching his cheek with his finger as his face blushed.

"Nawwww." Richie shook his head. "Naaawww! No way!"

"Way." Issei admitted as Richie's eyes widened in shock.

"How? How did you manage to step up ahead of the game like that. C'mon, spill your guts! Tell me a name!"

"I can't!" he shouted before crossing his arms. "I think it would be best if you didn't know."

"C'mon Issei. You can tell me. I mean we are friends aren't we?"

Issei later caved in. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. But not a word to Matsuda or Motohama. The moment that word gets out, they'll flip the fuck out."

Richie raised his right hand. "I swear on my Prodigy Gear, I won't say a word to anyone."

Issei then sighed. "Alright, I'll whisper it to you. But you better swear…"

"I swear I won't tell."

Issei finally whispered into Richie's ear to reveal who he touched oppai with. From who, to where, and when.

"WHAT!" Richie shouted.

Issei covered his friend's mouth with his hand. "Not so loud, dummy! You want the whole school hear you!" he whispered before releasing quickly after.

"Sorry. It's just that...I mean. Of all people…I didn't think it had to be Rias." Richie whispered back. "I know she's pretty stacked, fine as hell too, but damn! How did it happened?"

"It's a long story. Remember, not a word. You are the only person other than Rias and me that knows about this. Promise you'd keep it a secret? Just between us?" demanded Issei.

"You got it, not a single word. My lips are sealed." Richie responded. "C'mon. Let's get to gym. It says here on my schedule I'm supposed to go to the boys locker room first, right?"

"Yeah, that's where we get changed into our gym clothes."

"Yeah, thank you captain obvious." Richie said sarcastically. "But, how am I supposed to get changed without gym clothes. I mean I can't go to class in my underwear, that's for sure."

"Don't worry. I already packed an extra pair of gym shorts of mine for you to wear. At least until you get a pair of your own soon."

"Used gym shorts?" disgusted Richie.

"Hey, I washed them twice just for you! I'd make sure of that!"

"Whatever you say Issei." Chuckled Richie.

Issei and Richie walked down to the gymnasium which was a separate building behind the school. Some of the first year students joined in with the second year students, including Koneko. All students went to their locker rooms to change with their corresponding genders. Boys in the boy's locker room, girls in the girls locker room. Most of the boys were changed out of their uniforms into their blue gym shorts while wearing white t-shirts. Issei handed him his spare gym shorts when Richie changed out of his uniform with only wearing his white t-shirt and boxers. Richie felt a great deal of generosity from Issei for lending him his shorts. It was very kind of him to do so since they were both friends. Class had already begun in session. Normally class would start inside the gymnasium, on the contrary class the weather was a perfect day to have gym outside. Students gathered round to their teacher for the teacher who was a male, wearing the same style of clothing for class. Shorts and a white shirt. His hair style was black short hair with a swoosh on the to of his head. Along with a stubbled face and rounded glasses.

"Okay, class gather around. As you may already know we have a new student here today. Let's make him feel welcome here at Kuoh. What's your name, kid?" the gym teacher pointed to Richie.

"R-Richie Louisè, sir." He introduced with a bow.

"Well, very pleased to meet you Richie. My name is Mr. Yamato. I'll be your gym teacher for your rest of the school year, so I hope you and I can get along just fine. Now, I won't be here very long so we're only doing the 400m dash. I've got some matters to discuss about this abrupt new basketball team both the student council and the faculty created. Here's the rundown, one boy will face off another. Girls with each other as well after that the boys' turn. The process repeats until there are no more runners. Let's see, let's start with Motohama and Richie."

Motohama and Richie started to walk up in front of the starting line. Richie was surprised yet unsure on why to have Mr. Yamato call his name to run first. He wondered maybe because he was the new kid to test the waters in the track. Both boys made it to the starting line then stretched for they had a chance to start. Mr. Yamato pulls out two black stopwatches to record and keep time for each student.

"I need two volunteers to keep track of each student's time. Those two volunteers will race last. Murayama, you'll be timing for Motohama." Mr. Yamato said tossing her the stopwatch.

"What! Why do I have to time for that weasel!?" she said in disgust. she begged.

"Now, I need another volunteer to keep time for our second runner. Let's see here…how about...Asia!" he points to her.

Richie had froze on his stretches as his heart began to react more when the gym teacher began to shout Asia's name. A shade of a light red soon shown on the front of his face. She immediately reacted to Mr. Yamato calling her name. He underhand tosses the watch before Asia catches it in the air.

"Me? Okay." she responded.

Murayama and Asia walked by the edge of the grassy field of the inner track with a stopwatch in their hand. Richie and Motohama were stretched up enough to race. They stood behind the line waiting on the coaches order.

"Remember, it's not all about winning. This is not a competition. This is all about testing your speed and stamina. Teenagers like you should have a well balance of speed and stamina the moment you run this course numerous of times. Gentlemen, are you two ready?"

"Ready, sir." both boys said in unison. They placed put their hands on the ground bending their knees to have the proper starting form to run.

"Ladies, reset your watches! Boys, into your positions! On, your mark.."

 _"Good luck, Richie. I know you'll do great."_ encouraged Asia to herself.

"Aren't you gonna wish me luck?" Motohama said to Murayama adjusting his glasses and showing his teeth with a smile.

"In your dreams, creep." Murayama scoffed.

Mr. Yamato raises his hand up to set the signal. "Get set...GO!"

The pushed off with their feet, bolting downwards onto the track. The two girls started their stopwatch as soon as they began to sprint. The boys cheered for Motohama to win, while as the girls cheered on for Richie. Issei stood up to get a good view of Richie running along with Motohama. About 200m in, it was closer than anybody would think. Running at the exact same fast pace at the exact same time, with no delay whatsoever.

"Somebody should've told you. I'm the fastest runner in this class. Soon, I'll be a lot faster than that pretty boy Kiba Yuuto. Whaddya say to that!" Motohama said while panting in his pace.

"You know something, you're pretty bold for a guy who's a bit egotistical." Richie said as Motohama gave a scowling expression to him. "But there's is something you should know."

"Oh yeah, what's that!?"

"I'm the fastest one throughout my own school. I'll prove it to you. Just watch!

Richie, with all his speed, channeled all of his natural bodily energy to the bottom of his feet. The more he focused, the faster the became. However something wasn't right, he felt a weird feeling on the bottom of his feet. As he ran past Motohama, purple sparks began to fly out from the back of his shoes. Dust soon formed, clouding up Motohama's vision. He was eating his dust, literally.

Motohama coughed to expel the dust from out his lungs. "Hey! What the hell was that for!?" Motohama yelled. "You're going down, you prick!"

Within about the 300m mark, Richie ran much more faster than before. He could feel the velocity picking up with every step he took.

"Look at Richie go!"

"I've never seen anybody run that fast!"

The students could see Richie running quicker toward the finish line. Issei couldn't believe his eyes. It was like he was flying through the track. Asia was surprised to see him surpassing Motohama that quick.

 _"The way he moves so fast. That speed. Was that the way he saved me back then?"_ Asia thought to herself.

Watching Richie dart in the track started to recall the events in the church in her head. Using his speed to save Asia from being killed by her former ally of the fallen angels. Finally, Richie was the first to cross the finish line. Motohama soon caught up moments later. Asia and Murayama stopped their times when the two ended their time trial. The results to the both of them are night and day. The coach before long announced the times to the entire students.

"Alright, nice one you two. Motohama, your time was only 1:01.8 seconds. Richie, you clocked in at 54.9 seconds! Very impressive!" Mr. Yamato called out to Richie.

Richie held down on his knees panting for air. He'd never experienced to run this quick before. It took more breath out of him than he would imagine.

 _"What the heck was that? I've never been able to run that fast before in my life! Nearly 55 seconds? That's my new record for sure but, with all that speed!? It didn't come from me. It felt like something else. Something weird is going on."_ He thought.

Motohama was furious. He approached with a great deal of anger.

"Mr. Yamato, I demand a retrial this instant!"

"Why? What's wrong Motohama?"

"I'll tell ya what's wrong! Our 'new student' is hiding something inside his shoes that slowed me down during the course of this run! Dust or whatever flew right out his shoes!" Motohama pointed to Richie. "Check his shoes! Do a thorough check to make sure he's not enhancing himself!"

Mr. Yamato became quite concerned about Motohama's statement of request. He decided to go forth with his statement to follow through. He calls for Richie to come back to him.

"Hey, Richie!" he yelled as Motohama gave a big grin hoping Richie would be in trouble. Richie heard Mr. Yamato yell out his name. He jogged to both him and Motohama to know what was going on.

"Yes, Mr. Yamato?" He asked

"It seems that one of our students, Motohama, is accusing you of slowing down his trial run. Although this is not a race, we have a strict school policy standard students who are accused cheating. As per request, I will need to ask you to remove your shoes and socks."

"Cheating? H-Hold on a second, I wouldn't cheat. I don't see any given reason why to cheat in a gym class. I always thought class like this were all about trial and error." He said. "But, if it'll prove to you I wasn't cheating, then guess I don't have a choice."

Richie understood 's orders. He went ahead on taking off both his shoes, then he took off his socks in order to prove that he wasn't cheating. Motohama looked at Richie's feet with an evil, teeth showing grin. Rubbing his hands together wanting to prove that Richie was cheating. Mr. Yamato checks the inside of both pairs of Richie's shoes, seeing if any foreign object could be residing in. He taps the soles of the shoes for any more suspicious items, but so far nothing. The teacher then checks his socks by slapping them back and forth while holding them for any sort us dust or a suspicious powdery substance. No dust was found on either the shoes or the socks.

"Sorry Motohama, I couldn't find anything." he answered.

"Well check again! He's obviously hiding something! Hell, maybe even his torso or in his shorts!" Motohama yelled.

"That's enough! I don't have time for all this. We'll discuss this at another time. My meeting is in about 10 minutes. I want these times as soon as possible without any possible distraction or interruptions."

"B-But…" Motohama stammered.

"No buts! Go ahead and stand aside while I have my next two runners. Thank you. Next up, Issei and Katase! You're up!"

Katase felt appalled having to race with Issei. She knew as well as her best friend Murayama that Issei is one of the worst perverts out of the perverted trio. As soon as she stepped in front of the starting line, her focus was only on finishing this trial and that was that.

Katase looked toward Issei. "You better not have your pervy germs slow me down." she spoke.

Issei sighed. "I'll see what I can do." He said onto her before rolling his eyes on that insult.

"Show him what you're made of Katase!" Murayama cheered.

"Right!" her best friend nodded.

"Into your positions! Ready, set, go!"

-Later that Day-

Mr. Yamato soon recorded Murayama and Asia's time trial before he left for his meeting with the school faculty. As soon as he left, he told his students exercise their bodies. All students made sure they would have spotter or two in case one of them would get hurt and any sort of assistance is needed. Before any student would use any sort of outdoor equipment whatsoever, all are required to stretch. Girls would stretch with other girls will the guys would either stretch with each other or by themselves. The perverted trio quickly paused their stretches to observe the girls. Very thoroughly.

"Man, just look at those hotties from a distance!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Yeah, from this view you can get a great shot of their panties right through their gym shorts." Motohama pointed out adjusting his glasses. "Now if I can just get great view through their shorts, we can get something good here. What about you Issei?"

No response. Motohama turned both ways but no avail. He wasn't behind or beside him. "Issei? You seen Issei around?"

"Nope. This is usually his favorite part." Matsuda replied to him. He then sees Issei stretching beside with Richie. "Hey, I see him! And his over there with Richie Bitch!"

"What the hell is wrong with him! The moment that bastard came to our school, IsseI is somehow sticking by this dude like glue! Did he go gay for him all of a sudden!?"

"Hey, remember our plan?"

"Oh right! Gotcha."

Gym class was almost over. Five minutes before lunch period begins. Richie felt that he had a good day using the gym equipment. From running to pole vaulting for the first time, although his first few attempts were unsatisfactory for him. He soon got the hang of it thanks to Issei that had experience in pole vaulting in the past. Finally, it was almost lunch. Issei and Richie attempted to walk back to the boys locker room, but they were eventually stopped by Motohama and Matsuda pacing to them.

"Richie! Issei!" Matsuda shouted.

"Oh, what's up guys? You two ready for lunch? I'm already starving." Issei said.

"Yeah, me too. All this exercising is making me starving." Richie agreed.

"Same, b-but before that we both wanna say something to you Richie."

"Sure, go ahead." He nodded.

"We want to say we're sorry for giving such a hard time from the start." Matsuda apologized.

"Yeah. Sorry if I accused you of cheating at the track or anything. Can you forgive us?" Motohama apologized as well.

Issei started to wonder why his best friends would be apologizing to Richie. _"What's going on with those two? Why are they acting so apologetic all of a sudden?"_

"It's cool. Apology accepted. I'm sure you and me will be great friends."

"Woah, wait a sec. We didn't came here to be friends. We just came here to apologize. That's all. However, if you want to be our friends and hang with us, you have to pass a rigorous test." Matsuda mentioned.

Richie raised an eyebrow. "A test? What kind of test?"

"Matsuda, what the heck is going on?" Issei demanded to know.

"Relax, Issei. We just want to make sure that Richie is worthy enough to be able to stick around with us. You don't have to worry about a thing Richie. Follow our lead and you'll do fine."

"Oh, uh o-okay. So when does this test start?"

"The test starts now." Motohama said.

"Right now?"

"Right now!" the two said in unison.

Matsuda pulled out something black from behind his pocket. "In this test, we have to blindfold you to take you somewhere we know you might like." He snickered beside his friend as he too snickered as well.

"Excuse us, I wanna talk to Richie for a sec." Issei told the two as he pulled Richie out in front of them. "Richie, whatever they're trying to pull I suggest you don't do it." He whispered next to him.

"Why not?" Richie questioned.

"Between you and me, both Matsuda and Motohama and I can get a bit...let's just say mischievous. You're new to this school. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Issei, it's totally fine. Whatever it is they want to pull on me, I'd say lay it on me. I may be an idiot for doing this or not but if it'll get them to make us be friends, let em' have it."

Issei became concerned. "Richie, are you sure about this. They could do this just to potentially get you in trouble."

"Issei, my goal is to find those other artifacts Freed took from Aeris. School is probably the least of my worries. Hell, who knows it's maybe nothing. It could be some sort of pointless dare or stunt they thought up. I'll be fine."

"Okay. I just hope you know what your doing."

Issei finished talking to Richie about the perverted duo's potential dare. He was amazed by Richie's attitude. The indigo dragon warrior would care less about school than anything else. He accepted Richie's request to take them back to Motohama to accept this test.

"Alright, you two. Throw me whatever you guys can dish. I can take it!" Richie told them.

"Excellent." thrilled Matsuda. "I'm gonna blindfold you right now, so I can take you to this 'mysterious' place that only me and Motohama know very well. Filled with magic, wonder, and mystery. Motohama, you stay behind Issei until I come back here and give you the signal. As for you Richie, come with me."

Matsuda places the black blindfold in front of Richie's eyes then ties it to tell back of the head tight, but not too tight. Riche cannot see anything. Nothing but total darkness. Matsuda escorts Richie that one place that Motohama described by walking next to him linking arm to arm. In the meantime, Motohama and Issei stood behind where they wait for Matsuda to come back. A few minutes later, Matsuda and Richie were both inside this 'mysterious' room. Matsuda then released Richie out from under this arms.

"Okay, Richie we're here. Don't take off your blindfold until I say so. Matsuda said to him. "Just stay quiet. I'll let you know when I give you the signal."

Richie nodded silently without any words, giving him a solid yes. He has a feeling of mixed emotions. He does not know where he is in, nor knows what to do. All he could do now is wait. Matsuda from behind walked slowly to the nearby window. Quickly and quietly, he opened the window thereby jumping through with great agility as if he were jumping through a narrow hoop in part of a circus routine. He puts both arms forming an 'X' signalling Motohama from across.

Motohama sees the signal from a distance. "That's the signal. C'mon Issei."

"Okay, I'm right behind ya." Issei replied. His mind was still puzzled to know what those two were planning for Richie. He'd hope to wondered it would be something Richie could handle otherwise it could lead him into big trouble.

Motohama lead the way with Issei following right behind him. They both ran to Matsuda from behind the window outside a familiar location. All three boys sat down below the frame of the window.

"So, what are we doing back here?" Issei asked.

"Shhhhh. Keep it down will ya! We don't want you to ruin this thing. Now, prepare to be entertained." Motohama hushed to him as he was the only one getting up to open the window of the room Richie is presently residing. "Okay Richie, you can take off your blindfold off now!" he shouted. But as soon as he did, he quickly closed the window and picked up an old broomstick to lock from the outside.

"Motohama, what's Richie doing in there? And why did you prop that broomstick?" questioned Issei.

Motohama snickered at his face. "You'll see."

Richie took off the black blindfold from in front of his face. Allowing him to finally see. He sees nothing a doorway and a wall full of tall lockers.

"Where am I? A locker room? I'm in a locker room? Is this the part of the test Matsuda wanted me to take? HA! What so test worthy about a locker room?"

Richie laughed loudly until he saw something on one of the edge benches in front of the lockers. It was a piece of clothing balled up. He was mesmerized by the article of clothing. Not a shirt nor anything that you would wear on your pants. He walked up the bench to pick of the piece of clothing. It was black but a bit small at the same time. Richie took another look at it once more by unraveling it holding up in front of his face. The piece of clothing was now exposed. He couldn't believe his eyes when it was upon revelation."

"This...this a training bra! I'M IN THE GIRLS LOCKER ROOM!?" Richie shouted loudly in realization before covering his mouth.

Emotions went from being skeptical to down right scared. Never before has he been inside a room designated for the opposite gender. He throws the bra across the room with both hands in utter shock and dismay. His eyes widened as he pieced everything together in his brain.

"I can't be in here! I gotta get the hell outta here! But where? The window!" Richie exclaimed.

He ran to the window to make his daring escape out the forbidden zone. He tried pulling the side of the window but no matter how much strength he simply can't get it opened. It will not budge.

"Shit! Why's it locked from the outside? Matsuda, what the hell!? Why is this window locked? Why am I in the girl's locker room!" He asked him.

"This is part of your test. Try and see how long you would last in the girls locker room without getting caught. Good luck! Oh, and try not to get beat up on the way out." he told Richie.

Motohama and Matsuda high fived each other in their success. "Nice job, bro!" Motohama congratulated.

Issei from outta nowhere conked both his friends on the head for their prank. "Are you guys crazy!? He's just the new kid! What's your deal with Richie!?"

"You're the one who's crazy Issei! Ever since that guy stayed over at your place you've changed. All of a sudden your sticking by this kid like he's your boyfriend or something." Motohama told him.

Matsuda shook his head upon approval of Motohama's statement "I agree with Motohama! Look, he says he wanted to hang with us. He needs to learn a lesson in Perv 101. Those who want to hang with us must also be one us. And if he fails this test, then he passes in a thing I call payback. From everything he done on the court yesterday to back in the classroom. My ear is still feeling the effects from it. That bastard." Matsuda said rubbing his ear.

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing! The only thing you can do is just sit down, shut up, and watch the magic happens. Now, shhhh."

Back inside the girls locker room, Richie paced back and forth figuring out what to do in a situation like this. What would a boy like him do to escape the girls locker room with escaping the windows being out of the question?

Richie started to pace back and forth fast. "Let's see. AH! I can just walk out the door. But wait, what if I get caught by a teacher or any of the girls? Damn it. It's a stupid move to make, but a chance is still a chance." He said with a gulp. "I hope."

Richie went ahead with his idea by going to the front door. As he was about to exit to freedom, but heard few voices up ahead. He stood frozen in front of the door for a quick second to clarify what voices he hears. It was a bit muffled to hear. To further investigate, he looks through the little window placed in the middle of the door with a quick glance. He sees Katase and Murayama talking to each other along with Asia talking with another female classmate. They don't see Richie in the locker room, but all were heading that way to get changed.

 _"CRAP! Gotta hide! Gotta hide! Gotta hide! Gotta hide!"_ He panically said in his mind.

He looks left. He looks right. The back window is locked from the outside and going through the front door is sheer suicide. He was trapped with nowhere to go or even a place to hide. Or does he? He's sees that all the lockers don't have combination locks or any sort of lock. The lockers are his only saving grace to not get caught. He attempts tries them one by one. With sheer luck, the first locker he picked to open didn't have any clothes inside. His body slides right in with enough room to close it from the inside. Closing the locker just in time before all the girls were able to enter in.

"I know, right? I still can't believe how fast Richie ran that fast on the track like that." Katase told her best friend.

"Nearly 55 seconds! I can't even run that fast! And I'm the fastest runner for the girls."Murayama replied to her. "Whatever Richie's drinking, I want some."

"The way he runs I guarantee you he's joining the track and field team. Has he thought about what club he's joining?" one of the girls asked.

"I don't think so. I think he told us he's already in a club. It really is a shame. I really would like him to join the kendo club soon."

"Nah, I think you're just saying that because you and Katase wanted to be close to him." Aika retorted with a smile.

"It's not like that at all!" Both yelled at her in unison with their face blushing.

"Okay, okay chill. I'm just messing with ya. No need for hostilities." Aika said calming down the two waving her hands back and forth.

Soon after, the entire female class were getting undressed to switch back into their uniforms. They were stripping everything but their underwear. Richie was getting a front row seat of seeing his female classmates being half naked, exposing their breasts out in the open. Not just his classmates but also his friend so the house of Gremory, Koneko and Asia.

 _"Oh crap, they're getting undressed! I can't look! This feels so wrong on too many levels!"_ Richie thought in his head cover his eyes with both his hands. However, his inner perviness decided to peek in between his fingers for a little bit and to have some fun complementing in the girls in his head. His nose began to start bleeding.

 _"But I feel oh so lucky to bare witness it all! Let's see…oh, Katase and Murayama. Those were the two that showed me around the school today. I got to say, who knew they would be working out in such rocking hot bodies like that! As for Koneko...well, let's just say she's getting there. And Asia. She looks so cute! Even without a bra on! By God, her boobs look like they can fit in the palm of my hands! If only I could just...NO! Wait! What the hell am I saying!? I need to pull myself together. As soon as all these girls get dressed, I'm outta here!"_

"Hey Asia, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Sure. Go ahead, Aika" Asia responded.

"I have to know, what's it like living with two dudes under one roof?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, that's something I don't get Asia. How can you live with a creepy perv like Issei? I'm still trying to piece it all together."

"Actually, Issei's not that creepy at all. I mean, yeah sure he can get his perverted ways over his head every now and again, but deep down for the longest time he's been a caring guy. To me and to Richie."

Murayama and Katase looked at each other, shaking their heads filled with feelings of doubtfulness and confusion. Issei has always been a torment for those two in the past. Hearing stuff like that coming out of Asia makes them even more baffled.

"Speaking of Richie, what's it like living with him?" Katase asked.

"To be honest I think that now with Richie around, I feel more safer than living at my old home. On top of that, he and Issei get along quite nicely."

"My question is, what do you think of Richie? Akia asked.

Richie overheard Aika's question. He had freeze to not make any sudden movements or sounds at any cost or else the girls might hear him. He looked at Aika and Asia wondering to know what she actually thinks about him since joining the Gremory group.

"What do I think of him?" Asia starts to questions herself. "I've only known him for a while now. There's still so much I have yet to know more about him, but all in all since we've first met, he's a really nice guy once you get to know him."

Richie can't help but to feel a heartwarming sensation in his chest to hear kind words from the bishop of Gremory. He starts to smile after receiving so much positive feedback from the girls,including Asia.

"You make sure you introduce him to me. Seeing him run and shoot hoops like that after yesterday, really got me going if you know what I mean." Akia tells Asia adjusting her glasses.

Asia slightly giggled after her response. "I'll be sure to let him know."

"Hey Koneko, you were watching Richie run at the track. What did you think of him?" Aika asked her.

"I thought it was just meh. Nothing too special, really."

Richie sweat dropped on his head after hearing Koneko's response to his time trial. _"So much for hearing that complement."_ he thought.

Motohama, Matsuda, and Issei started to peep outside the girls locker room with their nose bleeding. Only matsuda and Motohama started to escape perverted giggles from out of their mouths. Issei on the other hand, while enjoying the little peep show, he was not fond of the idea of having his two best friends tricking his new friend. Matsuda raised a finger, as if a light bulb appeared beside his head. "Wait, my brain just hatched and idea. Issei, hand me your cell phone."

"Hold on, why do you need my cell phone?" He asked.

"You'll see my friend. You'll see. Now hand it over." Matsuda prompted Issei holding out his right hand asking Issei to fork over his phone.

Issei without any hesitation, hands him his cell phone. Matsuda flips open Issei's phone, then searches in the contacts section by typing in Richie's first name. Issei sighed into relief to put Rias in his contract section as "President". Learning what the consequences would be if his two friends found out he's been associating with Rias. Mothama finally found Richie's cell number. He scrolls down to his number and pressed the green talk button. Moments later…

 _ **Stephen Arnold Music - Inergy (Breaking News)**_

Suddenly, Richie's cell phone ringer went off. "CRAP!" he shouted before immediately covering his mouth.

He quickly picks up the phone to look at the caller ID. It read "Issei" on the front screen.

"Issei!? Why the hell would he be calling me in a time like this! I better hit ignore before I get found out!" He said.

"Did you hear something?" Aika said.

"Yeah, it sounded like someone's cell phone."

"Yes, but No, before that. I thought I heard a guys voice."

"Now that you mention it, I heard a deep voice too. It sounds like it's coming from inside that locker." Katase pointed.

It was too late. The girls all heard both his phone ringer going off. They turned their heads at the source of the sounds. All looked at the locker where Richie is present. They pinpoint it as their source. Murayama glared at the locker one the girls pointed to. It then lead to only the possible conclusion.

"Koneko. Code yellow."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Koneko said as she walked towards the suspicious locker.

"Oh crap. Koneko's going straight for Richie. I'd say he's a dead man for sure. Motohama, time?"

Motohama looks at his cell phone. "12:54, I'm calling it."

"There's no way in hell Richie is gonna survive a beating from Koneko! Hell, he doesn't even know how strong Koneko is at this point! Odds of him surviving this are none to none! It was nice knowing him." Issei thought to himself.

Richie looked at Koneko at through the vents at the top of the locker quickly as best as he could without him noticing her. He began to ponder why would they call for Koneko for a male intrusion in the girls locker room. He began to notice why in a matter of seconds. Within the first punch, Koneko with her utmost strength punched the locker dead center causing it to make a huge dent. A dent in a shape of a fist so huge he could see part of the door turning inside out. Richie was scared he did not know what to, he does not know where to go. He was bare witnessing the power and strength of what Koneko could do. A sneak prevue of Koneko's potential so to speak from a devil's standpoint.

 _"Shit! So this is how it ends!? Playing hide and get killed in a girls locker room by a pissed off four and a half foot tall high school girl that has the strength of a hundred men!? I'm dead! This is it. Goodbye world."_

All Richie could do was cover his face in fear with both his arms in a defensive position, hoping he would not get recognized by the only Gremory rook. Instantaneously before Koneko could make a second warning punch, his Prodigy Gear began to appear from his right arm.

 _"What? Prodigy Gear? What's going-"_

The center cyan colored gem began to glow. The shine blinded his vision for a brief moment. He had to shield his eyes with his left arm until it stopped glowing. Koneko, with no hesitation, strook another punched for an instant second time, making even a larger dent than the previous one. The locker door soon dropped down to the floor. Richie stared at Koneko dead in the eye from in between his arms. Koneko's eyes widened in a surprised emotion. Nothing. She doesn't see anybody or anything. Nothing but just an empty husk. The rest of the girls were in much dismay. All had thought that they've just heard somebody's phone including a guy invading their privacy.

"There's no one in there." Koneko told Katase.

"Something isn't right! I swore I heard a guy inside there!" exclaimed Katase.

"She couldn't see me? But I could see her?" Richie questioned himself.

"AW, COME ON!" Motohama yelled.

Suddenly, all of the girls turned around to hear another loud voice from the other side of the locker room. They turned around to the window to see Motohama and Matsuda with blood dripping from their nostrils, however Matsuda was in a pissed mood while Motohama was in a pissier mood that his friend blew their cover.

"Nice job, dickweed!" Motohama cried slapping him upside the head.

"It wasn't my fault! It slipped!"

The girls screamed in embarrassment covering their chests.

"You two are so dead!" Katase and Murayama said in unison.

Motohama and Matsuda cold see the fire and anger within the eyes if the top members of the kendo club. They knew it was time for their punishment. Koneko attempted to opened the window with the broomstick still in between. Her force became so strong on the exact point, the broomstick snapped. Katase grabbed Matsuda as Murayama grabbed Motohama. Issei on the other hand scurried on his own in order to not only be seen by any of the girls including Koneko, but to avoid anymore beatings from either one.

"Katase, check outside. I bet Issei is up to this." Murayama tells her.

"Good call."

Katase checked outside. She looked all around outside but to no avail. Issei was never to be found. He on the other hand hid around the corner. She doesn't see the master pervert anywhere in her eyesight. Katase went back inside as the girls proceeded to beat up the two perverts. Richie put down his two arms as he observed the pummeling to Motohama and Matsuda.

 _"Oooh, that's gonna leave a mark."_ Richie quietly said wincing in his reaction.

Things were going smooth. Seeing a front row seat of a beatdown was to his satisfaction at best. It felt right to see Motohama and Matsuda getting what they deserved for pulling a prank on him. Kharma would soon bite them in the ass, and did it ever. Richie's fun would soon be cut short. He sees his right hand reappearing all of sudden. Soon his whole body would be coming back to his visible self.

 _"Oh crap, I'm reappearing!"_

He then sees a cyan circle glowing on his right wrist.

 **[If I were you young one, I would leave right now before the invisibility wears off.]**

 _"Aeris? How can you-. Shit. you're right. I better jet outta here now before I get caught or worse."_

Richie inconspicuously got out of the locker. His body began to appear and disappear every split second as if he gotten an after hit invisibility from a video game. As he made it out of the girls locker room with ease, his body began to appear visible again. Just in the nick of time. He ran out of the girls locker room area to back outside to hide behind a tree. The tree would be a great spot to keep both Richie and Aeris' conversation confidential.

"That was too close!" Richie exclaimed "I can't believe I made it out of there alive! Aeris, what's going on? First, it was running situation at the track, and I suddenly became invisible? Aeris, if you could hear me, I need to know. What the heck is going on?"

 **[If you must know, I will certainly answer your questions. Remember back at the church when you saved your friend?]**

"Yeah, what about it?"

 **[Do you remember how you were able to run that fast to save her in the first place.]**

"Actually, to be honest I don't. The only thing I remembered was when Freed was talking shit about Asia and then he hurt Issei before that. Next thing you know, I had this sensation of saving her that bad it just well...I broke the chains with all the strength I had in me. Did everything I could to save her and I did. But the thing is, I have no idea what that sensation was."

 **[Simple. It was the arcane magic inside you. You channeled your energy you had while you were being held captive. You've awoken as much strength and energy you used to save your friend at will. Then today, you channeled it once more. By running at the same rate you were last night at the church sanctuary.]**

"That does make sense. I was using arcane magic that whole time and I didn't even realize it? This is astounding stuff we're dealing with." Smiled Richie. "What about the invisibility?"

 **[The invisibility was just a simple defensive mechanism. Once your body felt threatened, you used the magic inside your Prodigy Gear to utilize that power. You're very lucky it only lasted for a few minutes. For a boy like you who was just a beginner, it would've been a mere few seconds.]**

Richie put his left hand on his forehead shaking his head in dismay. "Man, talk about luck."

 **[Young one, I would strongly advise for you to focus on training more on your arcane powers as much as possible. I sense that the one called Akeno in your devil master's group is greatly gifted in the arts of magic. I believe she would be the utmost asset to your training. Also, I would suggest referring your recent discovery to my brother's host.]**

"Rias did say that training would be coming up soon. I'm sure Akeno would be helping me. She should know about magic more than I do. Thank for the advice, Aeris. I'll be sure to let Issei know about my invisibility. And you can stop calling me young one. I have a name you know. Just call me Richie if you want to talk."

 **[I am the Indigo Dragon Empress. I do not wished to be told whom I can and cannot refer to by anyone. You will be called the young one until you are worthy enough to be called by your first original name. And as for your master's request on your living arrangements. I'd prefer to sleep in the same room with the Red Dragon Emperor. That is all.]** Aeris ended as her glowing presence faded out from his hand, ending the conversation.

"Figures. No goodbye or nothing?" Richie sighed.

"Richie?"

Somebody behind him called his name by his first name. He turned around from the tree he hid. Turns out it happened to be Issei.

"Oh, Issei it's just you." Richie said wiping his forehead as a sigh of relief. "You startled me for a second there."

"What are you doing hiding behind the tree?" he asked.

Richie looks both ways making sure nobody comes toward his way or walking past him. He holds Issei to both shoulders in front of him. Issei felt a little awkward having a guy like Richie hold him like that.

"Issei, there's something you need to know."

"Okay, what is it?" Issei responded as he was dragged behind the tree where Richie was. "Okay, this is getting tad awkward if you want give me something from behind a tree."

"No, you ding-dong! This is serious. I don't know about you, but this day is getting weirder and weirder by the moment."

"Yeah, tell me about it. By the way, I've been meaning to ask. What happened to you in the girls locker room?"

"Wait! You saw me there?"

"Relax, you don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone. I'm a man of my word. I've been in your shoes like this a dozen times." Issei chuckled. "But still, now that you mention weird, one moment you were in there and the next you were gone. That's something I'm still confused about."

"I'll tell you in a little bit. Earlier at the track, I was facing Motohama, right?"

"Yeah. You were running like a dog chasing after a piece of meat. I was amazed! Excited Issei. "I've never seen seen anybody run that fast before."

"That's the thing. I've never ran like that naturally before. The only time I've been able to run so fast like that was when I saved Asia back at the church when you all found me."

"You're kidding!?"

"I wish I were but it gets funkier as it goes on. When Matsuda tricked me in the girls locker room, I hid in one of the doors Koneko destroyed. As soon as the entire door was taken apart, I could see her but she couldn't see me. In other words Issei, I was invisible up until here and now. Aeris told me to tell you everything that happened. She thinks that it would be better suited if we both know about it."

Issei closed his eyes and placed is right thumb and index finger under his chin. "Now I see everything. Richie, do you know what this means?"

"No, what does it mean?"

"After your amazing discovery you've just told me, this means...THAT YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING OUT ON ME!"

"Holding out on you? Issei, what are talking about?" Richie said before Issei grabbed in front of his shoulders.

"Don't you get it? You've been granted with a very special gift. An amazing gift that I've been dreaming of since coming to this damn school! You have to teach me how to use this invisibility. Do you know what kinds of things I could do if I were to get my hands on this power!? I can see it now. I can sneak into the girls locker room without anyone knowing. I would get a backstage pass to the greatest peep show on Earth! Avoid the fear and tremble of getting my ass beat by Koneko or the Kendo club. Or even...get a golden opportunity to inspect gazongas up close and personal and not one girl would suspect a thing! I'll be a friggin' ghost in this whole school! Issei the invisible! I like the sound of that." excited Issei.

"Issei, focus!" said Richie shaking in front of him. "Look, I don't know what's happening to me. But it feels like for some moments, I keep developing more powers as time goes on."

"So, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell Rias?" Issei said.

"I don't know what her reaction would be if I tell her I've been using my Prodigy Gear without her permission like she said."

"But you didn't. It just popped out on it's own. And it's not like you meant to do it on purpose or anything. Sure, Rias can be very dead ass with some things, but I'm sure she can be reasonable. What are you going to do now?"

"Training is coming up tomorrow. I'll just tell her before the training even starts. All I have to do now is just stay low, stay cool, and control myself for the rest of the day. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Sounds like a plan." Issei agrees as stomach begins to growl loudly.

"Sounds like somebody's hungry." Richie responded with a smirk.

"Yeah, thank goodness Asia and Rias made that dinner a couple days ago. Our class always has lunch in the classroom. C'mon, let's get changed. I'm starving." he said rubbing his stomach.

Richie didn't thought about lunch at first. He didn't have a bento box or any money for the vending machines. He can feel his stomach growling, much more quieter than Issei. He didn't want either of his friends to feel bad for him to have them eat their lunch so he decided to skip until he and his friends got home after school.

"I think I'm just gonna sit outside for a moment and chill after I change, Issei."

"Are you sure? Look, if you didn't bring any food with you, you're more than welcome to share some of mine." He granted.

"It's okay. I'm not that hungry anyway." He lied. "After all that's happened recently, I've sorta lost my appetite."

"Well, okay. If you still need help, I'll be in homeroom eating."

"Thanks, Issei."

The two boys went back to their designated locker rooms to change back into their regular uniforms. Richie and Issei later parted ways. The school bell rang in just the right time for lunch. Issei went back to homeroom while Richie grabbed his stuff to go the the vacant tree with a big shade to lie down on the grassy plain underneath the shade to contemplate on everything that has happened in the past few moments. He closed his eyes to ponder. From accelerated running to being an invisible Man for a brief moment. Everything was getting funkier and funkier to him. Who knows what kind of new power he may soon have in the future? Some that may be weak than others or more powerful than it meets the eye.

 _ **Guys, I want to thank you so much for reading this 9th chapter of DXD Hero. I know this took longer than expected. I wanted to publish this during DXD's 4th season, but some things came up that I had to take care of. But I guarantee you that I will finish this one soon. I got a lot of notes written down from the training toward the end of the story and I can't wait for all you to see it all together. I watched DXD Hero lately and I got to say they stayed true to the source material from the light novel and that's what I love when light novels are adapted to the anime. Anyways, I wanted to make this chapter longer for Richie's first day of school, but I decided to split it into two parts. Expect part two to be a little shorter than the previous one. That's all for now and always stay tuned for more!**_

 _ **Also if you want to find out how to listen to Richie's ringtone, just type in , click on the "news music" tab up top, and scroll down until you reach the section for "Stephen Arnold Music". All artists should be alphabetized. Find the theme song named "Inergy", click on "Breaking News", and listen away!**_


	10. Chapter 10: First Day of School - Part 2

***Bell Rings***

It was now lunch time. All of the students that finished their gym period were now going back to their homeroom class for lunch. Unfortunately for Richie, he did not bring a lunch with him on his first day. His only decision was to only lay low and chill under the big tree near the school only to ponder about everything that has happened from the day he arrived to now. But no matter what he had thought about, his stomach kept on growling for every minute. Even the big breakfast that earlier wasn't enough to keep him well til' after school.

[10 Minutes Later]

" _Damn, I really wish I had my wallet right now."_ Richie thought to himself. " _There was a vending machine I saw from the school entrance that has those amazing snacks! I wonder what they would taste like here in this world. Probably taste so much better than my old school's. No doubt about that."_

Richie closed his eyes and sighed into both boredom and starvation. "This sucks. I've should've known better to bring my own lunch to school." He said. "Oh how I crave dad's infamous family carne asada burritos with extra green onions, gooey cheese, lots of beans and his signature spicy green sauce. And how could I forget mom's small, but incredibly delicious snickerdoodle cookies sandwiched between her homemade buttercream filling. Man, I sure miss home."

"Richie?"

His daydream came to a halt when he was interrupted from by someone calling his name. He scrunched his eyes for a second until he notice from his opened eyes that Asia was standing there right beside him to his left.

"A-Asia!" He shouted. "Man, you startled me for a second there."

Asia bowed for forgiveness. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. If it's a bad time I'll come back later." she said to him as she turned around to go.

"N-No. It's alright. Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Issei told me you were here all alone. You look kind of upset. Is everything okay?"

" _If by okay, you mean weird?"_ He thought. "Yeah, everything's cool. No need to worry. It's just...the first day of school has been so overwhelming for me. I figured that I need to take a breather to relax here before I head to class after lunch."

"Well, okay. I just wanted to check and see how you were doing. Oh, I almost forgot! I bought something along for you. I hope you like it." Asia said.

She reached into her book bag to pull out a small box wrapped around in a blue cloth with white swirls. "Here. I thought you might enjoy it."

"What is it?" he asked being handed him the box.

"Go ahead open it."

Richie unravels the cloth by untying the knot from the top. Inside reveals a black colored box. He lifts up the top and to his surprise was food inside.

"Woah!" astonished Richie.

"I don't know if they have stuff like this from where you live, but here we often bring lunch from home in these bento boxes."

"The food. It all looks great! What's in it?"

"There's chicken teriyaki with white rice, a mixed vegetable salad, dumplings and sushi. I made it all by myself. Just for you." she smiled.

"California rolls! I thought I recognized it. All sounds very delicious. I appreciate your offer Asia, but I…"

 ***Stomach Growls***

He look down holding his stomach. Richie was about to finish off by saying he wasn't hungry at the moment but his stomach began to growl very loudly. So loud that Asia can even hear it for herself.

"But what? Please don't say that you're not hungry. I know the first day can sometimes go on a tough start but that doesn't mean you have to skip lunch. Please Richie, you gotta have something in your stomach at least." she pleased.

Richie turned to Asia and began to look at her face. He noticed a worried look on her. One that would be hard to say no to a face like that. She came all the way from the school building to give him free food that she prepared. Saying no would be wrong to say after all she did.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll eat what's inside."

Asia smiled at Richie. "That sounds great! You'll love the food I made." she said reaching into her bookbag and pulling out a pair of wooden chopsticks. "Here, you'll definitely need these. Can't eat without them." she chuckled.

Asia handed the chopsticks over to Richie. He became quite peculiar with handling chopsticks. Normally, he's used to eating food regularly with a fork and spoon, but chopsticks were merely not his forte. He began, in attempt, to hold the chopsticks with his dominant right hand. This was a first for him as he began to have certain difficulty holding chopsticks in the best way possible. He became very disgruntled.

"Do you need any help?" Asia asked.

"Please! I never knew handling chopsticks would be this hard. Usually I just eat california rolls with my fingers" Richie replied bluntly.

"Don't worry, it's real easy. Let me show you. Take one chopstick. All you have to do put the end of the chopstick on your ring finger and hold it tight with the bottom of your index and thumb."

Asia grabbed his hand to fix his hand position of the one chopstick in the correct way.

"Then take the end second chopstick and place it on your ring finger, making sure that both the tips of the thumb and index finger are holding it. Now squeeze and lift by using your index and middle finger."

Richie had to choose which food he was going to eat first. This would be a first for him to try an Asian lunch. He wasn't afraid to try new things so he decided to go for the dumplings. To him, the dumplings looked to be cooked to perfection. He starts to pick up one of the pieces of dumplings first. He soon realized that it was all thanks to science for holding these chopsticks.

"Oh, now I get the picture. I'm basically using my thumb as a fulcrum and both my index and middle finger to move them." He said taking a bite of the dumpling. "And these dumplings are so good. I think I now get the hang of using these chopsticks. Thanks so much, Asia!"

"You're welcome. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm pretty much a phone call away." She giggled. "When you're done eating, you can keep the bento box. It's all yours, including the chopsticks. I hope you like it."

"Trust me, it sure is welcoming. This food is absolutely magnificent. The vegetables still look crisp, the chicken taste juicy, and these California rolls you made are fantastic! Probably the best I've had ever! " Richie said taking a big bite out of the sushi roll for the first time.

Asia was touched by the compliments from her new fellow devil friend to know that her food was delicious. She placed her hand over her blushing cheeks. "Stop it now, you're making me blush. I'm so very flattered to know that." Asia giggled.

Richie began to question. "By the way Asia, why did you decide to bring me lunch?"

Asia looked down. "It's because, well after what you did back at the church. How you saved my life? I figured I would pay you back somehow. So while you and Issei were asleep, I began preparing a special lunch for you. It's my way of saying thank you for what you did. Anyways, I better get back inside with Issei. I'll let you continue eating on your own, okay? I'll see you later."

Asia was about to go back inside class to meet with Issei throughout the remainder of lunch, until Richie called her back. "Asia, wait a second!"

"Huh? Yeah?"

Richie spoke with his head held down."If it's n-not too much trouble, w-w-would it be okay if I had some company. J-Just this once." He told her. "I mean after my first day being a bit tough today, I figured I need a friend right now."

"Sure." Asia affirmed with a smile. "I'll just let Issei know that I'm going to be eating with you just for the time being."

Asia pulls out her cell phone as she starts to text Issei. Letting her know that she would be hanging out with Richie for lunch. As Richie continued to eat, he can't help be feel a bit relieved. After everything that has happened in regards to the arcane magic inside, he thought cooling things down by himself would wash the worries away, but he figured out deeper that a lot of thoughts relating to the magic would pile up in his mind resulting in making this day more stressful than it was. Having a friend to just talk and eat would eventually clear his mind over the more concerning things and more so focus on the positives not relating to his current dilemma. The two sat down together as they began to eat more of their lunch before the bell would ring.

 ***BELL RINGS***

Twenty minutes after lunch was over, Asia and Riche enjoyed their meals and said their goodbyes until the school was over. They all went back to their normal classes when it began. With only a few more periods to go, it would be a breeze for him. But as time went along, we mind was still thinking about the incident involved inside the girls locker. He couldn't get it out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It was bothering him like no tomorrow. He made a decision. He will tell Rias about what happened, aside from being trapped inside the girls locker room. To him, he thinks it would be the right thing to do to inform his master about all of this. Before he went to his final period class, his cell phone begins to vibrate. He reaches out and noticed that Rias was the one that sent a text message. He opens the text message and it read…

" _Richie, I'd like to know about your living arrangements. I was going to ask you directly at lunch but I had my hands tied with a member of the School Council. Have you made your decision yet?"_

Richie realized that he doesn't have a place to stay until he gets back to his world. He then realized what Aeris said about the living situation.

* **FLASHBACK***

 _ **["And as for your master's request on your living arrangements, I'd prefer to sleep in the same room with the Red Dragon Emperor."]**_

Richie quickly responds to Rias text fast before he heads back to his class to give his immediate answer, also explaining on why he chose that particular location. He sits down to his designated desk until then receiving another text from her.

" _It's totally fine. I'll refer it to Akeno right away."_

 ***BELL RINGS***

Finally, the last bell had rung for today at Kuoh Acadamy. Richie gave a big sighed. He felt glad that the entire class was over. So far nothing weird pertaining to his sacred gear had happened so far. In the last few classes, he felt nervous. Hoping in vain that his new powers would go off again. He walked out of the classroom doors to make his way down to the main gate. Most of the students stayed behind due to various school club activities. His phone vibrated. This time it was Issei that messaged him. The message read…

" _Don't go to the club room when your done with class! Meet me at the front of the gates."_

Richie understood Issei's words and decides to follow them. He walks outside to the main school entrance going through the hug runway to the large gate. Issei waves his left hand high in the air to signal Richie. He sees Issei from afar and hurries toward him until they meet up.

"Sweet, you made it. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, but I thought we'd usually be meeting at the clubroom?"

"We were, but I got a text from Rias before class was over." Issei said. "She'll be meeting us at my house for some reason. Asia and Koneko will be with Akeno at the clubroom waiting for us later on. Let's go home."

Richie had a wild suspicion about what Issei said. Why would Rias invite Issei and him and not Asia or Koneko? Was it relating to their sacred gears of the two related dragons. Did she find more information about Aeris and Ddraig? To Richie, it would make sense, but if it were up to Rias she'd normally have the intel ready for all of the club members and not just the two. Richie would have to wait later until they made it back to his house.

As soon as they made it home, Issei opened the door to view inside a four stacks of five small moving boxes sitting next to the stairwell where Richie and Issei can see them.

"Issei, what's with all the moving boxes? Are you already moving out of your house?" Richie asked him.

"Issei, Richie! Right on time." Rias exclaimed while sitting down on the couch drinking her tea.

"Rias?" Richie asked. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Yeah, and what's with the boxes sitting downstairs? What the heck _is_ going on here?" Issei asked her closing the door.

"I'm surprised the two of you don't this already." she smiled while getting up. "You see, during class me and Richie had a little discussion about where he'd like to live. He liked staying here with us for one night, the first thing he told me in his response was that he'd like to stay over in your room."

"Wait, hold the hell on for a second! Listen, I'd appreciate on Richie staying here for the night but don't you think it's a bit crowded to have one more guest to stay over."

"C'mon, don't be such a whiner. I already asked the boarding committee and they said that your room was the perfect fit him." Rias told him

"Richie, out of all the houses you had to pick why my house?" Issei questioned him with a deadpan look on his face.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Richie said then pointing to his right arm. "Ask Aeris! She was the one that decided it in the first place. I mean I can't go wrong on the empress' orders you know."

"Then it's settled. Richie will be rooming along with Issei, while I be rooming with Asia in her room." Rias confirmed as she clapped her hands. "I told Akeno to order the basics of essentials including various amounts of clothes, underwear, pajamas, socks and shoes. She pretty much gathered as much stuff as possible until your quest for the empress is complete. You're gonna feel exactly right at home. I guarantee it."

" _Could this day get any worse."_ Issei thought.

All three heard the front door open from behind them. A middle aged couple entered inside shouting both Rias' and Issei's name.

"Issei! Rias! We're...home." the wife shouted before calming her voice down as soon as she saw an unexpected third person in their household.

"Issei, we didn't expect you or Rias having company over when we came back." the husband said.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou! Welcome back so soon! How was your vacation?" Rias asked.

"The trip was great. Thanks for asking, Rias. Issei, mind introducing to your new friend and care for me to explain on what's with all the boxes around here?" the husband told him raising his eyebrow.

" _Aaaand, now it has."_ Issei thought.

Issei's parents began to do discuss together which gives Richie an opportunity to ask her a question.

"Rias, what are we going to do now?" whispered Richie.

"Don't worry just leave it all to me." Rias whispered back. "Mr and Mrs Hyoudou, this is all my doing. I would like to apologize for not telling you two further. If I may, I would like to continue this discussion alone. Issei?"

"Yeah?"

"Take Richie upstairs with you while me and your parents have a slight discussion."

Issei turned his head toward her and got real curious about Rias talking to his parents. What was she going to say? Or for that, what's she going to do?"

"Go on you two. You both don't have to worry about a thing." she said.

"O-okay, c'mon Richie let's go."

"Right behind you." He said as he followed Issei up to his bedroom.

 _Minutes Later…_

The two boys waited up to their room as they were told to by their president. Both were silent while Issei was throwing a baseball up near the ceiling. Richie wondered what Rias meant, "leave it all to me." Issei was lying on his bed as Richie sat on the computer chair until finally he spoke.

"This is what I'm afraid of. What's gonna happen if your parents say no? What do you think Rias is saying to your parents right now?" Richie asked.

"Eh, I'm she's probably working on some plan for you staying here. If anyone can solve this it's Rias, so I wouldn't worry too much." Issei said. "Richie, I wanna ask. Why did you pick my room of all places?"

"See, the original idea was to live on my own in an apartment that's either close to the clubroom or near your house. I've wanted to see what would it be like to live under one roof all by myself, but when Aeris told me she wanted to live here, her orders sorta supersede my decision."

"What made her decide here?"

"Easy, the Red Dragon Emperor."

"Ddraig?"

"I have a theory that her and Ddraig were so close back in the ancient times. Once they got seperated, they've probably missed each other."

"That does make sense. Listen, what I said earlier. About you picking my room as a place to stay. I didn't mean to put you down like that earlier on."

"Nah, don't worry about. After all, we got powers of the twin dragons in the palm of our hands. We both got this. Sure, I may have a quest to do, but that doesn't mean I have to go alone on this, Issei. As long as we have the gremory household behind each others back, nothing can stop us."

"You got that right."

" _Issei! Richie! Can you come down please?!"_ Rias shouted.

"Here we go. The ultimate decision." said Richie.

The two exited out of their bedroom to climb downstairs toward the living area. Issei and Richie soon met up with Rias and Issei's parents as all three were sitting down on their sofa."

"You needed to see us?" Issei said.

"Yes. After a much needed conversation with Rias, your father and I have come to an executive decision. Richie, you're more than welcome to stay along in Issei's room as much as you like." Issei's mom said.

"Really?!" excited Richie.

"That's awesome! Mom, what made you want to have Richie stay?"

"Thanks to Rias, we feel that with Richie around he'll be an excellent of help around the house along with her and Asia. I'm sure Richie wouldn't mind, now would he." Mrs. Hyoudou nicely said.

"Absolutely! If I were to work hard here in this house in exchange to stay, I would be much obliged by your kindness Mr. and Mrs Hyoudou! I'm truly grateful by your decision, You won't regret it one bit." Richie bowed to give thanks.

"Now, that's what I love to hear outta you! I'm beginning to like this kid already." Mr. Hyoudou said. "Issei, now you make sure you treat this kid well. He's in your hands now. Treat him as if he was the little brother you never had or another son we've always wanted."

"L-little brother?" puzzled Issei.

"Well, we better get going. Richie will unpack his things once we're back from our club meeting." Rias said to them looking at her watch. "Issei, Richie, let's go."

"Coming!" Both said in unison.

All three devils went out the door to make their way to the old school building. Richie wanted to know how Rias convinced Issei parents to let them stay. He rushed to Rias' side to ask.

"Rias, how'd did you persuade Issei's parents to have me stay in his house?"

"It was a little tough at first. In their minds, they wouldn't know what to say at first if we added you in Issei's house. But with a little gremory magic, I've managed to convince them otherwise. You can thank me later." She said. "We better hurry up, Akeno and the rest are waiting for us."

"Gremory magic? In their minds? Did she do something with their heads or what?" RIchie paused to think until Issei stood by to check on him.

"C'mon you slowpokes! You two coming or what!" Rias yelled as they saw both Richie and Issei way behind her.

"Richie, you okay?" Issei said before Richie began to ponder then laughed. "What's so funny?

"Oh, it's nothing...big brother." Richie smiled telling Issei as he dashed along with Rias to the clubroom first."

"What you say?! Hey, wait up!" Issei exclaimed as he chased him down the sidewalk.

 _ **Hey guys. I know this chapter is really super duper short, but I needed this chapter to be done so I can get the 11th chapter, which is already in progress, uploaded probably around the new year or so. But overall I want to thank the people that have favored this, you all been great! See ya'll next year!**_


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